Some Thoughts Today

Not long ago, I saw a woman standing outside of her minivan in the Target parking lot. She stood there for quite awhile. Her kids were screaming in the van and it was obvious she was trying to convince herself she could get back in the car.

I wanted to toss her my car keys with directions to my apartment. I thought a couple of hours of quiet might be all she needed to tackle her own life again. I could take the kids to McDonalds and try to keep them from killing each other that afternoon. She could turn her cell phone off, and curl up on my couch with a magazine or a movie and some popcorn.

I didn't offer to make the trade. I have to think that 99.9% of the time, this good woman would not leave her kids with a stranger in the parking lot and take off in her car. On that particular day, however, I think she would have jumped at the chance. And no one would have blamed her. Not even a little bit. We've all be there; not able to deal with our circumstances for another half-second and certainly not for a lifetime.

Sometimes I think we need some reassurance that we're not on our own in life and that everyone has those days. Sometimes we need a break from it all and some time to stare at the wall. And, after we're done staring, it's amazing how refreshed we feel as we walk back into whatever our circumstances may be. It's the life we have chosen and created for ourselves, after all, and we wouldn't trade it permanently. Even if, for a moment outside the minivan, we feel like we would like nothing better than to skip away and not look back. It's nice to feel like you can - and even nicer to know that you wouldn't.