Wednesday 9 November 2011

Broken car and ponder-isms


So this week I found myself on the side of a freeway in my broken down car. As inconvenient as it is, it has given me some time to write some of this blog. It has given me the chance to view the life of the freeway I was on. I saw a lot of people driving past in their suits after a hard day others maybe just driving home after visiting family, truckies that have probably driven all day and will until the wee hours of the night. It is such a variety of people, all with their own tale to tell. This train of thought led me to remember a book that I read a few years ago, it was called Bypass, can’t remember the author’s name but he used to be a Jesuit priest so he had plenty of stories to tell. It was an interesting book, it told of how he rode a bike from Sydney to Melbourne not only a long but a life changing and liberating journey, all this intermingled with stories of heroics, tragedy, folklore, history and titbits of peoples’ lives. I implore you to seek it out and read it.
As I sat there I also realised how much I needed the car but took it for granted, it’s fair to say I didn’t exactly look after it. But then I was stuck there on the side of a freeway and out how much I really need it. I use it to get to and from work, university, placement and anywhere I need to go. This may be one reason why I haven’t looked after it, because I couldn’t do without it for a day. As I coughed out the fumes of another unhealthy car going past I wished my little goer would start and I could be out of here, but no such luck for me. And then there went a car towing some race cars, they looked like they could go. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wish a have a different car, it’s perfectly fine, it gets me from A to B, and well at least it got me from A to B.
Because my car had broken down this meant I had to catch public transport. Luckily I misread the timetables and they met up perfectly (to be honest I was really worried.) But sitting there on the train I was reminded about what I was thinking about when I was stuck on the freeway, I was thinking about all those peoples’ stories. Most were in business attire some looked like they were off to Melbourne for the day, and one I overheard was going to the hospital.
Have you ever attempted to start a conversation with anyone on public transport? I did, and it didn’t go too well. Every time I spoke to someone they would look at me as if I had a disease and got back to staring into the oh so interesting middle distance. This led me to ask, if humans are such social creatures, why then do we surround ourselves with people but then endeavour to not speak with them? I would have thought that would be against our very nature.
This seems pretty long so I might cut it off there.
Witty comment of the week
All men like to think they are marrying nymphomaniacs.
The problem is that after a few years the nympho leaves but the maniac doesn't.

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