Yesterday morning, there was a terrible crash on the M40 motorway (which runs between London, Oxford and beyond). Unaware of the crash, I jumped onto the M40 only to find myself sitting still. Traffic literally crawled along until the highways department shuffled cars off the motorway and onto side roads.
Normally, sitting in traffic frustrates me. But for some reason yesterday was different. For starters, the crash causing my delay was fatal. That gave me pause to appreciate that whilst stuck twiddling my thumbs in my car, I was, rather thankfully, still alive. And then, as I drove along the subsidiary roads towards my destination (near Heathrow), I was stunned by the beauty of the morning. It had snowed during the night and, even though it was a bright sunny morning, it was still crisp enough for the snow to decorate the English countryside in a spectacular way. Yet as the sun warmed the hills, the snow glistened and melted in fairy-tale fashion.
And as I drove, I began to ponder the existence of ‘goodness’ and ‘badness’, and their role in our lives. The ‘badness’ of a terrible road accident – and the death of one of the drivers – gave immediate rise to me being given the opportunity to witness a rare scene of winter beauty in the Chilterns. No, I am not suggesting that the ‘goodness’ that I experienced on the picturesque roads between Milton Common and Henley outweighs the ‘badness’ of the end of the lorry driver’s life. But I am suggesting that there definitely is a connection between these two opposites. And that connection filled my thoughts for much of yesterday.
This time of year, when it is still sunny but there is a crisp cold in the air, is one of my favorites. I feel like these are the days when anything can be accomplished and pictures turn out better.
Thanks for the reminder to enjoy it…even though it forebears the onslaught of the Chicago winter.