This is a guest post by Katie Wallace.
It was the last place I expected to find enlightenment. However, stuck in traffic I found calm. Today I enjoyed summer in the most unlikely way as I sat frozen on I-26 right outside of Columbia, SC.
I was in no hurry. I could have been, but realized I had no control over the situation. I put the car in park, opened the sun roof, turned up the radio, rolled down the windows, reclined my chair, and hung my feet out the window. I resigned myself to the fact that I would arrive later than expected. It’s amazing how blue the sky was, how fluffy the clouds, and how magnificent the trees as they swayed with the breeze. All things I had not really taken note of until I stopped.
Now, I would like to believe that I was not the only person enjoying my unexpected break as I sat in the long line of traffic, but from observing the others around me it would be safe to say I was definitely in the minority. Some were getting out of their cars to get a better look at what was happening, trying to understand the problem. Some were running late and now visibly angry. Others fly by on the right side (in the emergency lane) impatient and unwilling to stop. It occurred to me that there were most likely many people sitting in the long line of cars that wished they had taken the time to stop at the last exit. Someone was probably hungry, had to use the restroom, or was running low on gas.
As for me, I enjoyed my 45 minutes of forced immobilization. I had no place to be, and even if I did, on I-26 is where I sat. Instead of creating chaos around the situation, I enjoyed the calm… and the breeze!
Have you stopped today? Try it. Look around and see what you’re missing!
P.S. There did not seem to be anyone hurt in the accident when I finally passed by the motor home that had somehow fell on its side.
