Thursday, February 08, 2007
My brother left me the keys to his car the last time he was here on leave. He doesn't really need it while he's in the service, and I guess he thought I could use it.
I wouldn't say that I was traumatized by the accident--nothing like that. But ever since sliding through that intersection and slamming into the side of a gasoline tanker, I've thought twice about driving my truck when there's ice outside. So I've been driving his car the last few days... The radio only plays one station, but at least it's a halfway decent station. And having heat is nice.
But when I got in the car tonight, it wouldn't start.
Turn the key. Click. Nothing.
Turn the key. Click. Nothing.
Turn the key. Click. Nothing.
Meanwhile, across the parking lot, I catch the eye of someone who probably wonders what the hell I'm doing--
Nothing.
I pull the hood of my sweatshirt over my head.
The car eventually starts, but the problem seems to go beyond freezing temperatures--the starter's probably going bad...
As I was driving home, I started to think about things--something about driving helps me think. And as it often does, my mind quickly turned towards my life and my endeavors, and I began to wonder if I would ever succeed. Up until now, it has never been a question of ‘if,’ only a question of ‘when.’ But sometimes it feels like that ‘when’ is stretched out on the distance of a long highway, always just beyond the glare of my headlights.
Just then, a shooting star flashed across the night sky. It was the biggest and brightest shooting star I've ever seen in my life! And for the briefest of moments, as that star gave light unto the night, I thought I caught a glimpse of ‘when’ out on the horizon...
