Traffic

This particular picture was taken on the 101 earlier today at about 2 PM. I don't live in So. Cal or any other highly congested traffic area, so imagine my surprise when I found myself in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of the day.

Today was one of those days where it was very sunny but cool outside; however, while driving, the dreaded greenhouse effect kicked in. I became frustrated with my predicament: traffic and hotness. I'm sure we have all experienced this particular state of mind. Favorite songs on the iPod are annoying. Drivers in the adjacent cars look stupid or ugly or both. Minutes rather than miles become the unit of measurement traveled.

I felt chafed by the situation until I realized something: There could only be traffic on the 101 at 2 PM on a Tuesday because there is some kind of accident.

I've been in four accidents. Two times I was driving, two times I was a passenger. The most serious accident was when my high school buddy was driving. We got T-boned when we took an unprotected left when a pickup truck was crossing through the intersection. The car was pretty trashed. I remember my friend's face. His mother's car had just been mutilated. His face was sad and angry. He didn't cry, but the redness in his cheeks betrayed him.

Car accidents, especially ones that are your own fault, stay with you. The guilt and helplessness seem to echo regardless of the number of years that pass. I remember my accident outside my high school. I still feel uneasy when I think about it. Car accidents, perhaps more so than the boba incident, are life changers.

So here I am, sitting in traffic, no particular place to be and no particular schedule to keep, feeling angry for no reason other than the minor inconvenience.

Sure enough, about five miles up the road, I pass a white Mazda that looks like dynamite exploded the front end of the car. The bumper was twisted rather than shattered. The synthetic plastics of bumper looked like the tripe I get in my bowls of pho. The driver of the car was no longer at the scene. Only a few CHP officers remained. After passing the crash scene, the traffic opened back up.

I feel like a solipsist. I feel like the person I so harshly impugned only a few days ago. I'm in my own world, selfishly thinking about the traffic, when someone else had a very negative, emotional, and, quite possibly, life-threatening moment.

If I had to choose between losing my car in a wreck and sitting in traffic for an hour, I would certainly choose the traffic. And I should be thankful I was given that choice today. To the driver of the white Mazda: I'm sorry you had a tough day. I hope your tomorrow is better.