It was foggy here this morning. Thick foggy. It was the kind of density which is completely heavy. Visually, and also, implied.
I had to drive over to Richmond very early for yet another CAT Scan. It was my fourth, I believe. That aside, I have traveled that same route hundreds of times in the past 28 years. I know it. But there is something unnerving about crossing through that fog.
I think it is the consequences of obscurity.
The obvious challenge is the increased danger in driving. Several years ago, my dear friend Janet, lost her husband to a car accident, caused by such a thick fog as this. I think of them every time the weather turns this way.
But beyond the hazards of driving… this fog… this inability to see clearly… directly affects the body and the mind. It is dizzying, and disorienting.
The speed of travel becomes vague.
This happens to us in life sometimes, too. Of course, we never know our future. How could we? It is beyond our ultimate control. We can think, and plan, and work, to prepare for the upcoming time. But the fact of the matter is this. We don’t know what the very next moment will bring. Ever.
Often times, this feels more paramount than others. Just like driving through the fog, navigating through life’s obscured times can be disorienting, unsteady, capricious.
Yes. Foggy days remind me of this. But wouldn’t you know. That fog didn’t stick around. It lifted by noon, with a little help from the sun. Driving became easier. The road ahead was much easier to see.
So with life too. There are times when things seem very masked and unknown. There are other times when it feels promising and bright. Either way, we are traveling at one singular moment. Only. We aren’t alone in this. We are all moving through, the same as every one else. On minute after the next. Vague, or clear.
Yes, the fact is…. everything will change. The question is… how do we change with it?
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“Those who pass by us, do not go alone, and do not leave us alone; they leave a bit of themselves, and take a little of us.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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