Drive Time Realizations

On my drive back north today I experienced three events worthy of note.

1) I realized for the zillionth time that people forget to turn their headlights on when it's raining and/or overcast. Now, being an Oregonian, I realize that we feel pretty comfortable in rain. We walk, run, play in it, and we drive the regular speed limit too. However if there's one pet peeve I've begun to have it's the fact that half the cars I drive by or behind on the highway/freeway do not turn their lights on in the rain. It inhibits passing, decreases driver safety, and it also decreases visibility of the cars up ahead when the rain gets heavier. Is it really that difficult to turn the headlights on along with the wipers? I counted 25 cars without lights on in the rain in about 40 miles. Then I realized it was futile to continue counting....

2) It's sad when so many negative events have caused us to lose faith in humanity. There were two young, fairly clean shaven guys about my age at the rest stop where I stopped on the interstate who were trying to catch a ride up to Portland. I responded honestly that yes I was going to end up there, but that no I wouldn't take them. They were completely fine about it and really seemed like decent guys, but being a fairly young, somewhat attractive, single female--I wasn't going to take the chance. Too many horror stories. As I got back on the freeway I kept trying to imagine how it would have been possible to have taken them along--after all it is more environmentally friendly to share my car trip and I'm sure they would have had some entertaining stories. But beyond making them empty out their hiking packs, pockets, and strip--I really couldn't come up with any other options. But how sad that faith in humanity is so low that we are inhibited to take care of others...although I have a feeling someone else probably got them to where they needed to go. And besides....who doesn't buy a bus or plane ticket these days?

3) There were TONS of sheep in the fields along both the highway and the interstate that I drove along. Made me rethink whether there would even be a need for me to have sheep some day! But the thing I noticed the most was that in one stretch of hundreds of sheep, the fields were located directly next to a mill. I could smell in the air a funky unhealthy smell as I drove past this stretch and could only feel for the poor little sheep that are breathing this in all day. And then it dawned on me---so these sheep breath in these chemicals-many of which probably can be deposited within the cells of the sheep which in turn are eaten through meat or milk by humans or passed on to cute baby sheep. Bioaccumulation before my very eyes......hmmm.....

P.S. One of my favorite artists is India.Arie and this song from her album Testimony, Vol 1., just like almost every other time I've heard it, stuck out at me today and definitely adheres to so much of what I talk about here on this blog. The lyrics came from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/indiaarie/thereshope.html:

INDIA.ARIE LYRICS"There's Hope"
[Verse 1:]Back when I had a little
I thought that I needed a lot
A little was over rated,
but a lot was a little too complicated
You see-Zero didn't satisfy me
A million didn't make me happy
That's when I learned a lesson
That it's all about your perception
Hey-are you a pauper or a superstar
So you act, so you feel, so you are
It ain't about the size of your car
It's about the size of the faith in your heart

[Chorus:]There's hope
It doesn't cost a thing to smile
You don't have to pay to laugh
You better thank God for that[repeat]
There's hope

[Verse 2:]Off in the back country of Brazil
I met a young brother that made me feel
That I could accomplish anything.
You see just like me he wanted to sing
He had no windows and no doors
He lived a simple life and was extremely poor
On top of all of that he had no eye sight,
but that didn't keep him from seein' the light
He said, what's it like in the USA, and all I did was complain
He said-livin' here is paradise
He taught me paradise is in your mind
You know that
[Chorus]

[Bridge:]Every time I turn on the T.V. (There's Hope)
Somebody's acting crazy (There's Hope)
If you let it, it will drive you crazy (There's Hope)
but I'm takin' back my power today (There's Hope)
Gas prices they just keep on rising (There's Hope)
The government they keep on lying
but we gotta keep on surviving
Keep living our truth and do the best we can do

[Chorus]
Stand up for your rights [echo]
Keep shining your light [echo]
And show the world your smile [echo]
[Chorus]