The Roads Always Taken

Now that construction has been completed, I'm back to my favorite commute route through Griffith Park. Having traversed the freeway while certain sections were shut down, I can say that it is sometimes faster than the freeway, and definitely more predictable. Not to mention, nicer scenery and sometimes coyotes.

The only downside of this commute is when there is only 1 lane and someone takes the 20 mph sign a bit too seriously. Now, I'm not one to do 60 here, and I am alert to the various crosswalks and stop signs, and drive accordingly. Still, as pretty as it is, I do need to get to work eventually.

I drive through Griffith Park 4 times a day. First, to drop off the girls at school, then to go to work; at the end of the day, I have to pick up the girls of course, and drive them home. Or Sylvia to dance class, or whatever. The route is very familiar!

Now the cars are becoming familiar, too.

There's one green sedan I see quite often. I'm happy to let him drive in front of me. He's not reckless, but he keeps a good pace.

I pulled up behind the sedan in the intersection leading into Griffith Park. A little while later, I noticed he had weaved his way up a few cars.

I try not to weave. It's seldom worth it, and I'm just too lazy. I will generally put up with the speed of the car in front of me.

But then I noticed the van in front of me with its distinct sticker in the top left corner of the rear window.

These days, my memory is faulty. I tell the girls to text me reminders of things I need to bring them, I ask them to add appointments to my calendar when they tell me during our commute, and if I don't add something to my grocery list, I will come home without it.  Even learning new song lyrics isn't as easy for me as it used to be! It's frustrating, but I've learned to live with it.

The memory of this van in front of me, however, was surprisingly vivid. I remembered all too well how slow they drove, as if they didn't want to miss a tree leaf. I was sure they added 5-10 minutes to my commute the morning I'd previously seen them (which could've been yesterday or last week; that, I don't remember).

I weaved and pulled in front of them.

I imagine the green sedan remembered them, too. It didn't take long for the van to completely disappear from my rear view mirror.

It's nice getting to know your commute neighbors. Especially, knowing when to avoid them!