This We Believe
This We Believe
Walking in the Rain
Stephanie Menser (2009-03-25)
Special thanks to 91.7 The Revolution in Bowling Green, KY for production assistance.
BOWLING GREEN, KY (WEKU) - Every day I drive the same path to and from work, and at least once a day I see the same two outlines of figures walking down the road. They appear to be mother and son and they always are walking back and forth from the neighboring grocery store. Sometimes it's in the cold, sometimes it's in the rain, sometimes they have lots of bags and sometimes just one, but despite the conditions it is always, just the two of them.
I have been watching them for some time and I always seem to play out their "story" in my head. One day they might be new immigrants with no other place to go, others they might have lost the provider of the family and have no way of getting to the store other than walking. Whatever the case may be, I always feel a little sad every time I see them.
A couple of weeks ago I started to question why I cared so much about what had happened to them, instead of caring that they were walking very far at night in less them temperate weather conditions. I told myself I would stop and offer them a ride, but life gets in the way of intentions sometimes. I would pass them too quickly, or be in a hurry, whatever the reason I always had an excuse.
But one rainy day, I was passing by and something felt different. I turned around, excited to ask them if they needed a ride. I'd be lying if I said the excitement came from the promise of helping others. I was excited to feel validated, to feel useful. But when I rolled up and asked the question, I didn't get the overwhelming thank you I expected, I didn't get any thank you for that matter. Instead the woman turned to me and said she came from a huge city, where there is so much to take in. Here in America everyone boxes themselves in cars, and no one notices what is going on around them. No one appreciates the surrounding beauty. One day she said when she saw me driving by she might take me up on my offer but for now she was just going to enjoy the beauty of the rain.
I left with her words and I don't think I shall ever forget them. It made me think about all the time I spend stuck in a car or an office. Now when I pass by them I don't see the sadness or struggle, I see them laughing, talking and smiling. I think about how when the son gets older, he won't remember these times by how many bags he had to carry, or how bad the weather was, but he will remember his mother and the stories they shared. This I believe is time truly spent, truly lived. I hope I can find the small moments of life and truly live them before they are gone. I want to drop worries and complaints and embrace the people I hold dear, even if it's just to do something as simple as taking a walk in the rain.
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