Morning Commute

"Clair De Lune" - Debussy

When I'm stuck in traffic for 4-days straight, trying my best to stay awake as I slowly inch my way down the 110 to the 10, there's only so much I can do to keep my sanity. So, I studied all the cracks severed within the tired pavement and noticed more potholes winning against tires that should've been changed months ago. I figured that cars blocking the shoulder with their emergency lights glaring was the reason for the delay, but no. There's just too many damn cars attempting to reach the same place at the same time as I am.

The beauty of a busy city during a morning commute is that there's a lot to see when you're not moving. The graffiti alone is spectacular or spectacularly messy. There is definitely a distinction between creative art and ridiculous tagging, but the amazing feat is just how the "artists" managed to get up there and not be seen. What made them want to spray paint this against such a big slab of concrete and how they must've felt once they were done. Some were left unfinished. Maybe they got caught and couldn't finish it. Maybe they left it that way on purpose so that people like me can wonder if this was their real intention.

I spend some time observing other people waiting alongside of me, wondering how they were staying afloat in this sea of taillights. Lots of them were on their cell phones. I wondered who they were talking to and what they were talking about. Business men dressed in suits and ties, some wearing wedding bands and some not. Were they talking business or scheduling the next affair in the hills of Elysian park to kill time? Women swipe on coats of mascara and lip gloss that it's no wonder car salesmen focus on vanity mirrors.

The best observation? People really do sing like no one's watching, but I watched carefully. I wondered what they sounded like? Were they undiscovered talents waiting to be discovered and possibly on their way to an audition? What were they listening to? What was on their playlist and is it really different from my own?

So take a moment when you're feeling stuck to simply look around you. You'd be surprised at what you might see when time finds you at just the right moment to slow down. And this is what this piano melody does for me.

http://debussy.diletante.net/