Scenes From My Life

Driving through a city in a car or tour bus, there is only so much one can see. Most of the city goes by in a blur. Stops are made on a preset schedule. For a true tour of any city, the best way to see it is by walking. When walking, one can see a city at their own pace. As many or as few stops as desired can be made. In my travels, walking has provided some of my most memorable experiences. One of my more memorable walks happened late at night. It was not so much the walk itself that was memorable, but the circumstances surrounding it. It was January 1, 2000. A group of friends and I had spent much of the evening on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., welcoming in the new millennium with countless other people. After 1a.m., the crowd began to disperse and we were faced with a decision. Earlier that evening, a friend had dropped us off near the Mall before continuing onto her own New Year’s celebration. Did we join the throngs of people waiting for ...

The drive from Alabama to Arkansas. It is a trip I have taken countless times. Every summer and a few other times throughout the year, my mother and aunt would load me, my brothers and cousins in the car for the six hour drive. Most years, the trip was uneventful. Just the same same sights along the same roads over the same amount of time. But, one summer, road construction forced us to take a detour. It was on this extended drive that I saw something that you truly do not see everyday. Our drive from Alabama to Arkansas was spent mostly on the highways of northern Mississippi. It always ended with our crossing a two lane bridge over the Mississippi River, heading into eastern Arkansas, and my grandmother’s home. This particular year, though, as the bridge was being repaired, it was impassable. Thus, we were forced to take a detour through a few small Mississippi towns. Shortly before we crossed the border into Arkansas, we stopped at Sonic, part...