Perfect moments in everyday
life happen more often than you would think. These moments are not
Earth-shattering, but simply are
moments in time when you are experiencing something that puts you at immense
peace for reasons you truly don't
understand.
Personally, many of these moments seem to happen to me while I am in motion. Whether walking, jogging, or in an automobile, I often find myself experiencing a moment of serene perfection while on the move.
Have you ever driven down a crowded highway overpass, turning slowly in relation to magnetic fields you never stop to think about and watching intently the taillights of other cars floating in front of you? Suddenly the correct song pours from your car stereo, and for just a moment everything else is gone except the red wash of light and the feeling of a great magnet gently pulling you towards your destination.
I was alone this New Years Eve, and spent the passing of 2000 in an airport terminal. Before I made the trip to the airport, however, I went downtown to take in the sights and sounds of the annual festival the city holds in honor January 1st. I was walking South Pearl and simply enjoying the lights and lack of traffic when I was passed by a horse-drawn trolley that was out for the occasion. I turned to wave and as I did the passengers exploded with a loud "Happy New Year!" Not wanting to be out-done I ripped my hat off my head and spread my arms into the air, yelling their exclamation back at them with as much cheer and volume I could muster. I’ve never been yelled at by a trolley-load of holiday-happy people before.
Last night I was returning from a dinner outside of the city on route ninety when I saw an ambulance ahead. It was traveling at a steady sixty-five miles an hour, with no sirens and only half the lights going. It was late, and there were few cars left on the road. Following from behind, I was mesmerized by the red and white lights' play on the snow-covered hills to either side of the expressway. Moby's "Porcelain" was on my radio, and all I could do was float in my car, moving at seventy miles an hour while sitting down, and enjoy the rare moment in front of me. After it passed I drove ahead as I could feel gravity pulling me and needed sleep. As I passed the ambulance I realized it was the same ambulance that had taken me to the hospital nine weeks earlier.