Painted rocks, left-hand turns, and a call to be better
One of my most indelible memories of the days and weeks following 9/11 was how easy it was to make a left-hand turn. There I’d be, sitting at a traffic light, left blinker on, and when the light turned green, the person opposite me - the person who was headed straight ahead, the person who 100% had the right of way - would wave me through.
“Go ahead, friend, make your left hand turn,” they would say with that wave. “We’re all Americans, and we’re all in this together. Happy motoring.”
Today’s version of that? I’ve never said “Hello!” to more strangers in my life. Every time I’m out for a walk, there is so much nodding and waving and hello’ing. Plus, the wide berths being given in the name of social distancing, and it’s like the whole of New Jersey is making a left hand turn together. (Side note: Can I bet that two of the biggest punkequivalent bands of the 2050s will be called Social Distancing and Flatten the Curve?)
My point: We’re all being nice to each other again. We’re like a fractured family at the funeral for the beloved matriarch. There will be plenty of time to continue our feuds later, but for now? Time to be civil.
The “niceness” of the time was crystallized for me on one of those aforementioned walks. There I was, listening to a John Mulaney standup special (stand-up comedy = coronawhat?, at least for short bursts) when I came upon a handmade sign, maybe a parent-kid project, then again, maybe not. The sign read, “Go ahead … take the rock you need!” with a little smiley face. And surrounding the sign? Painted rocks, with a word on each of them. I saw “patience,” “perseverance,” “happiness,” “strength,” “healing,” and “love.”
I almost cried.
So stupid, right? Crying over a bunch of rocks. I would’ve taken the “stop being such a sap” rock, but apparently someone beat me to it.
I know exactly why I almost cried there.
It wasn’t because of the stress and anxiety and uncertainty of our times.
It wasn’t because there’s no playbook in how to handle all this.
It wasn’t because we’re all stuck in our homes and there’s an invisible enemy and the economy is tanking and who knows if my job will last and and and …
Nope. It was because the rocks reminded me of those left-hand turns of nearly two decades ago. It reminded me that we’re better than we have been in recent years, sniping at each other, turning everything into a political fight.
Basically, those rocks reminded me we’re all in this together, and by “this” I mean every single damn thing.
Let’s try not to forget that when this is all over.
Let’s keep letting people make those left-hand turns.