Waiting for the Light

Sept. 21, 2012

On my way home from Northwest in the evenings, I encounter an intersection with a traffic light and a regular visitor. Weaving his way through cars stopped at the red light is a gray-haired man wearing blue jeans and t-shirt holding a small cardboard sign that reads, “Homeless.” He quietly moves between the rows of stopped cars and peers in the windows, attempting to make eye contact. While there have been many times when I’ve reached into my wallet for a few dollars to give to persons on the street, I found myself hesitating last night to reach for my purse in the passenger seat as I sat waiting for the light to change. How much did I have in my wallet? Would my money make any difference? These questions crossed my mind as I took a few moments to decide what to do.

But then the light turned green and the cars in front of me began to inch forward. I saw a white Jeep in the lane next to me roll down its window. A young hand reached out over the glass and made contact with the man’s outstretched palm, putting in it what seemed to be coins. The man nodded his head and as I drove past, I saw that the person in the car was a boy who looked like he might have been middle school-aged. The Jeep picked up speed, and as it overtook my car and moved through the intersection, I noticed that the spare tire cover on the back of its hatch was imprinted with the message “Life is Good.”

Yes, life is good when we don’t hesitate. Life is good when we act on compassion rather than reason. Life is good when we don’t wait on the light, but move boldly forward and give from the heart.

 

It was a gentle and humble reminder for the ride home.