“Security
is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of
men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than
outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” ---Helen
Keller
The
steamed-up windows make it difficult to see outside. You strain to get a breath
of fresh air. Can’t really spread fully out to sleep. You could simply roll
down the windows if not for fear of evil reaching in. Car seats aren’t for
camping. Could have cuddled if both of you were talking.
Years
ago (in a time before cell phones), much more so than now, ‘Zimmer Fries’
abounded in Germany. It literally means, ‘room free,’ and is a type of
accommodation in Germany where a local rents out a spare room in their house to
travelers. The property owner posts a sign indicating a vacancy. Find the sign,
check in, stay the night. Easy.
Our
travelers left late that day with the assumption that seeing a sign would be
easy. Like a Vegas hotel in neon. So it may have been, on a crisp, clear day. But the rain came. Not softly like the gentle
touch of a new lover. It came pouring down like it had something to prove. The
wipers zipped back and forth with a fury. The only view, ropes of rain as
headlights reflected off the road. And what of our couple in the car?
What
would you hear if you could listen in to their conversation? This couple, on
vacation in Germany, in the midst of a great adventure? Bickering. Fear and
frustration giving voice as blame. “You should have planned better!”, “You told
me it’d be easy to find one.” They could have spent the time laughing, or
praying, or talking each other through square breathing. The dark didn’t lift
and the rain kept coming.
Late
into the night our out-of-towners spy a hotel. Before paying for the room they
asked if they could see where they’d be sleeping. Tired, grumpy and angry they
are ready for the relief of a bed. Peering into the room their hopes are
dashed. The bed is not made. Sheets are everywhere. Unkempt. They shake off the
imaginary vermin clinging to them and head back off into the night.
If
only they had danced off into the darkness, betting on each other despite the
lack of sleeping quarters. That’s not how the story unfolded. Driving on roads
they don’t know. Shoulders stiff, tension in the car mounting as they motor on.
Ultimately pulling off into a rest area where they spend a cramped night in discontent.
It's
a cautionary tale I tell. I’ve spent too much time imbibing particular people’s
poison. I’ve let the elements and circumstance crush me instead of hoping God’s
working things out for the joy set before me. That night in the car was one
night on a long road. A day I wish I had embraced and not spurned.
“Seize
the day ' seize whatever you can, 'Cause
life slips away just like hourglass sand.” --- Carolyn Ahrends
Photo by Tahamie Farooqui on Unsplash
