Upon being born, my take on
the world has been from the back seat of a taxi. Not always was I in
charge of my direction, and the meter on the dash wasn't ticking off money - but
time.
Yesterday, for whatever reason, I saw the meter click over to Old Age. I heard the driver say I had arrived.
The thing is, yesterday I knew it. I suddenly felt old. I knew the driver was right, I am here. Of course I'm hoping the ride isn't over, but this realization is a first for me.
Glancing into the rear view mirror I see past events flicker by. I see myself going through grade school, playing with friends and flashing past even faster are all the things I though were so awfully important.
Turns out they weren't.
Suddenly I do not wish to stare into the mirror any longer, I sit back and look out the front but we're not moving. Again the driver, without looking back at me says, "Rides over pal. We're here."
For some reason I feel compelled to linger. Again I look into the mirror, while my fingers search down between the seats, feeling for what I'm not sure.
The rear view seems to have kept moving forward through my life, even though I had looked away for a bit. Now it was showing me going through a string of jobs, familiar places flashing by; hospitals, factories, retail shops and restaurants, the faces looking right at me seem so important yet to me they are nameless.
The fidgeting driver clears his throat. I know I need to slide myself across the seat to the door and let myself out, but there seems an imaginary safety to staying inside the cab. Maybe if I don't step outside, just maybe...
But then I remember seeing all those things in my past that I had thought so important at the time. Maybe the unrealistic security of this taxi is just one more thing in my life that, in the overall scheme of things, isn't all that important
I thanked the driver for the ride, told him I had always believed in him and had never lost faith.
As I exited the cab I thought I saw a little smile come to his face.
I was surprised to see the sidewalk filled with old friends. They were excited to see me and I don't know how but I knew each and every name.
***********
He will be missed.
Yesterday, for whatever reason, I saw the meter click over to Old Age. I heard the driver say I had arrived.
The thing is, yesterday I knew it. I suddenly felt old. I knew the driver was right, I am here. Of course I'm hoping the ride isn't over, but this realization is a first for me.
Glancing into the rear view mirror I see past events flicker by. I see myself going through grade school, playing with friends and flashing past even faster are all the things I though were so awfully important.
Turns out they weren't.
Suddenly I do not wish to stare into the mirror any longer, I sit back and look out the front but we're not moving. Again the driver, without looking back at me says, "Rides over pal. We're here."
For some reason I feel compelled to linger. Again I look into the mirror, while my fingers search down between the seats, feeling for what I'm not sure.
The rear view seems to have kept moving forward through my life, even though I had looked away for a bit. Now it was showing me going through a string of jobs, familiar places flashing by; hospitals, factories, retail shops and restaurants, the faces looking right at me seem so important yet to me they are nameless.
The fidgeting driver clears his throat. I know I need to slide myself across the seat to the door and let myself out, but there seems an imaginary safety to staying inside the cab. Maybe if I don't step outside, just maybe...
But then I remember seeing all those things in my past that I had thought so important at the time. Maybe the unrealistic security of this taxi is just one more thing in my life that, in the overall scheme of things, isn't all that important
I thanked the driver for the ride, told him I had always believed in him and had never lost faith.
As I exited the cab I thought I saw a little smile come to his face.
I was surprised to see the sidewalk filled with old friends. They were excited to see me and I don't know how but I knew each and every name.
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