Keep Calm And Saunter On

San Francisco, California
September 25th, 2013
Late Afternoon

 

"No matter how you hurry, you will notice at the end of the day that you traveled at the speed of time."

~Robert Brault

I thought time had completely stopped. Nothing was moving. Nothing. I was beginning to believe that my new home was going to be my car, and the traffic in San Francisco seemed to stop and showed NO signs of moving, ever again! The day I am talking about was this past Wednesday, and it was just me being impatient and tired and a little unrealistic. Leaving San Francisco, by way of the Bay Bridge, is challenging no matter what day, but when you have chosen to drive straight through the middle of the Financial district, at any time after 3:00 PM, and there is any sporting event happening in town, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you will be sitting in heavy traffic! It's just a fact of life! But on this past Wednesday, it seemed far worse than usual! At least that's how I felt! Anyway, the upside to the situation is all the time I had to photograph what was happening around me. I spotted this young man, running down the street, with a huge bouquet of flowers! He wasn't about to sit in traffic, he was going to get to where he was going, and come what may, he was going to run all the way there!

Was it a first date?

Was it a last date?

Did he do something wrong, and the flowers were an "I'm Sorry" gift?

Was someone that he loved in the hospital?

Whatever occasion they were for, he was determined to get there on time!

While pondering those questions, the 59th Street Bridge Song came on the radio...

A very cool coincidence! But then again, if God created everything, then I must give him credit for creating DJs and Program Directors! LOL. Right? He also deserves the credit for the lesson I find myself continually learning about fighting silly situations, like heavy traffic. It's something that once you find yourself in the thick of, you can rarely do much about. It's one of the hardest things to keep a positive perspective on, especially when you are tired, you body is screaming in pain, and a potty break wouldn't be a bad idea! LOL. But fortunately, a little music always makes things better, and so does looking at life in a creative way.

It took Alan and I an hour and 50 minutes to go about 2 miles through the downtown area of San Francisco, and in that time, there was plenty to see. I will show you those sights over the next couple days!

"Fast takes longer when you hurry. Keep calm and saunter on."

~Mike Dooley

STAY TUNED!