Hopefully everyone has had at least one really fine moment when they've
sensed a connection with a force or spirit beyond comprehension. Maybe it's
a fleeting glimpse of some bigger picture or the suggestion of a higher purpose
which rattles our spiritual foundation or lack thereof.
One pristine summer day, maybe twelve years ago, I was headed from the
mountains of Upstate New York to Wrightsville Beach in Virginia. I was riding
my newly acquired, 600 cc Honda Shadow. It was pretty much a toy version of a
Harley Davidson Sportster. Think "Easy Rider", but with a top speed of eighty in
a racing tuck. I had worked my way from country roads to the eight-lane beltway
around Annapolis. My throttle was wide open, I was lost, and continuously
tail-gated / surrounded by tractor trailers. I could be cool and suggest it was
just a hassle, but I truly thought I was going to die right there - my legacy being
an unrecognizable splat in the road. To my great relief, the traffic eventually
thinned and I triumphantly exited at the first rest area I saw.
As I relaxed my derriere on the wide supportive surface of a picnic table,
an elderly couple walked by, talking in hushed tones. I said something
like, "How are you folks doing on such a beautiful day?" They gave a positive
answer but their tone betrayed them as they looked at each other. My response
was, "I'm not convinced." They came toward me and over the next twenty
minutes or so, shared a snapshot of what they and their seriously ill daughter
were dealing with. I listened as they shared the many dead ends they were
facing. Their story was heart-breaking, but the despair they initially emanated
lessened as their floodgates opened.
After we hugged and parted, I pulled out my map to figure out where
I was, and how to get back on track. Then I had a thought - What
if I was on the right track the whole time?
