Thursday, August 19, 2010

God's Gone Out for a ...

We were driving home on a beautiful, sunny, breezy and cool afternoon. Work had gone extremely well and I was feeling good in that 'worked hard' and 'achieved much' kind of way you do sometimes. Too, the windows were down and we had music playing, we were just a couple of dudes driving through the city. We came to a stop at a pedestrian crosswalk, a zebra crossing as the Brits would have it, and a young woman began a slow journey across the street.

She walked carefully, as if she'd fallen before and wasn't intending to repeat the experience, but she also walked with the clear purpose of crossing the street without holding traffic up any longer than necessary. About half way cross she was tiring and we saw her slow. I felt the breeze on my arm and I smiled at her, knowing she couldn't see me, but I wanted to add a smile to the mix. I love people with disabilities who still do what they want to do in the way that they do it. Like every act sometimes is both an act of politics and and act of poetry at the same time.

Now the guy in the very tall vehicle next to us, was fuming and getting more impatient with the moment. He reved his engine a couple of times to let everyone know of his growing anger. He must have been a vitally important person and he must have had a vitally important destination. A couple of times his truck seemed to almost buck as if the engine itself was tired of waiting for some careful and slow walking pedestrian.

I looked at his angry face and thought to myself, "I wonder why God gave up smoting? Perhaps for His health?'

When she reached the other side he squealed tires and shot across the intersection, I screamed because I saw her almost topple backwards into a horrible fall as the sudden sound took her by surprise. But she grabbed hold and stayed upright. Joe was stunned and took a few seconds to regroup and then pressed the petal.

We turned the corner onto Davenport and what to our wondering eyes did appear? A flashing light, a police officer, and the truck parked quietly off to the side of the road.

Sometimes the world rights itself.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

HA! Smoting is reborn!

Sher said...

God has a strong sense of justice, you know, and a keen sense of humour!

Belinda said...

I think He just smote! Oh, Anonymous, I agree!

What is the big rush, I sometimes have to ask myself?

Susan said...

Aw, the good stuff always happens to you. There's never a cop there when I need one. Only when I DON'T need one... like when I'm doing 102 in an 80... Arghhh!

Lene Andersen said...

Ahh. That's better.

reminds me of a time when I was going up the street and some idiot had pulled his car in where the alley behind my building is, except instead of going into the alley, he'd left the car on the sidewalk. Making it impossible to go behind it or in front of it. I grumbled to myself, turned around and headed back for the corner so I could cross the street to go to the other side. As we wheelchair users have to do so many times because some idiot block the sidewalk. But then I saw a police car do a U-turn and pull up to the sidewalk, telling the guy to move his car.

I called my local cop shop and asked them to pass along my thanks to the officer.

Kristin said...

Oh that makes me smile. I truly do believe that you rep what you sow but too often we aren't around to see the justice being meted out. LOVE that you got to see it.

theknapper said...

What a great story to start my day....

Brenda said...

YES! (with appropriate air-fist-pumping action).

Anonymous said...

Instant "Car"ma!

Becca said...

Hooray!! Love it. :-)

Kasie said...

God smack!

AkMom said...

God shows shows up in many forms. Here is another smote...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQxcV4lu-a4

Totally safe video, laughing out will ensue.

:~)

Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg said...

I laughed out loud when you mentioned G-d giving up smoting, and yelled "Yay!" when I got to the end of the story. It's so wonderful when justice prevails.

Molly said...

And justice is served.

Sher said...

Dave, I checked the comments this a.m. after making a comment and noticed, at 8:34 a.m., an anonymous comment that appeared to be from a business advertising their product. You must have removed it shortly after and I'm sorry that you have to waste your time doing so. I intensely dislike when telemarketers interrupt my family time and have pledged to never buy something from someone who calls my home, which is what I tell every telemarketer. I will also add that I will never buy, subscribe to or recommend anything that comes, unsolicited, to my inbox or as a posting on a blog such as yours. Your blog is thought provoking and is one of the ways that you make a positive difference in the lives of people affected by disabilities. We do not always agree with each other, but I hope we are all generally here because we have that goal in common. Hmmmm, I wonder if smoting applies to tele/internet marketers as well. (I realize that these people are trying to make a living, but maybe they could stick to blogs that are content-related). Just my two cents.

Dave Hingsburger said...

coffeetalk, the only comments I ever remove are spam ones. I do not remove those that disagree nor disapprove of what I write. But as a vegetarian, spam annoys me.

Sher said...

Dave, I hope you didn't think that I was upset that you removed the comment. I'm upset that anonymous put the comment there in the first place. I have always appreciated a discussion resulting from a difference of opinion. It's always good to open your mind to a different point of view. My comment was specifically speaking to my disappointment that businesses would choose this forum to advertise their products unsolicited. Please keep challenging us to action.....it is appreciated.

Dave Hingsburger said...

no coffeetalk, I understood your intention and I agree with your sentiments entirely. I have been falsely accused of removing comments that disagree but I never have and never will. Thought I'd take the opportunity to state that one more time! Thanks

rickismom said...

Ho-Ho, Good for G-d!

Once I was out walking , and as I started crossing the street, a car (who ran around the corner, and ignoring the fact that I was on a zebra crossing), nearly hit me. Another person there hit the car strongly and yelled at the driver. I later thanked the man (I had been too much in shock to react...), and said how nice it is when people do the right thing.

AkMom, thanks for the link. TERRIFIC!

AkMom said...

rickismom, wasn't that great? I loved the very end of the video with the woman just finishing up her walk with the sound of the skateboarders laughing in the background.

The Untoward Lady said...

Late to the party on this one...

This reminds me of what happened to me a little over a month ago. I was at an amusement park and a couple of young punks came up to my date and I and began to mock my neurological condition.

Anyway, a few minutes later I saw them face down with their hands behind their heads as a gaggle of cops were going through their drug stash.

Sweet, sweet justice.