I'm driving to meet a friend, and I'm late...of course, because I am late for everything. Whether it is a lack of planning (possibly) or a misguided idea that I can fit more into less time than the rest of the world (more likely), I am regularly at least 5 minutes late. Everywhere.
So really, I am not just driving, but kind of speeding. I am fast approaching a lovely new-model Sienna van, which far outshines Big Blue, my less-new and well used Sienna. As I get ready to pass Big Blue's fancier counterpart, I have to wonder... who is driving that van? I already know it's a mom. Let's face it - the Sienna is a "mom-mobile," capable of carrying large loads of children, groceries, and equipment to the many places children must go each day. But what is her life like? Is she, like me, driving one handed, while simultaneously fishing around in her purse for her lipstick? Is she worrying about the overpacked activity schedule she'll be facing later that day, which requires a flow chart to make sure everything is done? Is she thinking about the times in the not-to-distant future when it will only be one child to chauffer around, because the other will be off to college?
I pull up next to the van, and sure enough, she has both hands on the wheel. No one-handed purse digging for her. She looks ... serene. Confident. Relaxed. All those things that I wish I felt myself, as I zip down the road.
Of course, it's entirely possible that this calm, self-possessed woman is dealing with her own baggage. Perhaps, despite the outward appearance of her pretty new van, the interior mirrors her life, with the detritus of the week spilling out from every seat: empty water bottles, granola bar wrappers, car chargers, changes of clothing for both band and dance team, notes and bills on the console. Maybe muffin crumbs from a dinner eaten on the road litter the bottom of her floor too.
But I don't think so ... I think this woman is opposite Michelle. She is never late. She is never rushed. Her car is always immaculate. She never applies makeup in the parking lot of her destination.
I pass the shiny Sienna - fast, because I am late - too quickly to catch the unknown mom's eye in the mirror. My last glimpse as I turn the corner is of her staying exactly in the middle of her lane, going the speed limit. Ah, opposite Michelle. How peaceful your life must be.
