By Joe McKenzie
Rotation: Sitting in the classic basic waiting room at Bengtson Tire on North Santa Fe, I notice it smells like years of success in car and truck repair. It’s refreshing in it’s greasy unique way. I’m here for a rotation. Well, my vehicle is the lucky one. I can’t say my own inner tread doesn’t wear thin at times and I feel an urgent need for some level of rotation. We all take a few corners at life’s higher speeds. Ever feel mentally or socially out of alignment? You might need to rotate, to rethink a few things. Could you be out of balance too? It happens. Slow down. Clear your head. Find a waiting room and breathe.
Kind: Saw a fabulous T-Shirt message that read: In a world where you could be anything - Be Kind. Just a t-shirt. I’ll read almost anything. Just another lightweight motivational message that we soon forget? Maybe, for many of us. But, it’s also a reminder that for some reason too many of us get busy fighting to win, battling to be the best and most successful person with the most toys - and somewhere along the way we forget to simply be kind to others. Later that day, a waitress delivering a cold Fire Engine Red beer at Blue Skye had a T-shirt message that said Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind. Nice coincidence. Sometimes, we need to hear good advice repeated.
Lonesome: That train rolling slowly by at 1:30 am has to whistle a loud signal to nearby residents who are sleeping or to drivers who just left the bar that a train is approaching a cross street. At some point in school lessons, there are students who learned that 2 long, one short and one long means a train is crossing the road. I missed that lesson and wake up wondering what other important lessons I missed. If you hear three short whistles in a row, the train is probably backing up. If you are awakened, you can hopefully back quickly into your interrupted dream. Or can you? Usually not, but then again, we do repeat various dream themes that we are still working out, like the slow lonesome train that never seems to leave town.
Dilemma: At the busy Cloud and Roach intersection, there can be that 4 way stop dilemma that John Prine sang about in his song The Accident. A decision needs to be made. Who’s next? In Salina, the yield can go around and around, as Prine sang. Whose turn is it to proceed if we all arrive the same time? Yes, some of us are passive or reluctant drivers, others more assertive and sometimes go out of turn. We have played these same roles since grade school when we learned to take turns. Someone cheated then too. Take your turn. It’s not worth an instance of road rage. As Prine sings, we don’t know how lucky we are.
CNT: Ever notice those pockets of time when the entire city seems to be indoors, perhaps napping on a sunny weekend afternoon? There is very little traffic. It is so quiet and oddly civilized, like we all fell asleep watching Justin Thomas carefully line up a putt. No one is really at the mall. No one at school. A few nervous strivers are at work in offices. Really? Everyone else is quietly shopping at Dillon’s. An organized Central Nap Time (CNT), while impossible - could result in a calmer, more rested population, ready to deal with each other in a kinder manner when meeting at Bogey’s or Mokas later. Sweet dreams!
