Late Night Solitary Roads Redeemed

Excuse me if this seems a little punch drunk because I’m operating on a bit of sleep deprivation.  It’s telling that I’ve been out of the Army for nearly a decade now and this used to be much easier because I was called upon to do it more regularly.  In my infinite wisdom I volunteered to drive down to New York City last night to police up my daughter and Wing Man after work so we could avoid today’s snowstorm.  They were packing out their California bound possessions so I knew they would be exhausted.

My wife, Connecticut, and New York all tag-teamed me to make this a little more difficult than anticipated.  Since I had to use my car (my idiocy keeping the other one in the repair shop) I had to rely on my I-Phone for GPS directions.  My plan was to charge the phone when I got home from work and then set out with a fully charged GPS device.  This is where my wife entered the fray.  She’d delayed her own Thanksgiving shopping session until late in the day and thought it would be a good idea to borrow my charger.  This was not a morale boost (see later how she totally redeemed herself).

So I set out for New York City around 4:30pm and immediately ran into massive traffic.  Apparently a couple million other people had the same idea about avoiding the certain traffic woes to be encountered today and created the exact same thing they hoped to avoid.  I shouldn’t complain because I was part of the problem.  My cell phone lasted until half way through my beloved Connecticut before dying a painful death. 

Luckily I’m from an earlier generation that doesn’t have to depend on the GPS.  Like any good infantry officer I had done a thorough map recon of my route through New York City to reach my daughter’s apartment.  The most surprising thing was I retained enough to successfully access the information when needed.  After more than 4 hours of being pummeled by incredibly slow traffic I arrived at the Whitestone Bridge toll booths where my EZ-pass failed to work.  My wife had drained the account with her Maine adventure and the credit card on file had expired.  One of New York’s finest approached the car and after inspecting the device directed me to a side where I could pay him in cash.  The only upside was the car directly behind me.  He had unsuccessfully tried to cut me off while waiting in line with his van liberally festooned with New York Yankee stickers.  He was forced to wait while I was processed (silver lining).   

Sadly Empty Apartment

I then found myself wandering through the streets of Brooklyn and realized I had missed the turn to my daughter’s apartment (thank God for the map recon).  I made a couple of turns and was soon parked outside her apartment, just after 9pm.  The only problem being I could not remember her apartment number and the ole cell phone was still dead (a Francisco Franco moment).  I knew it was on the 4^th floor so I started pushing buttons until someone buzzed me in.  When I told Wing Man about this, he laughed and said – “Oh you’re one of THOSE GUYS!”.  I am given to believe I may have injured my status in the New York City society by my actions.  I could care less (Red Sox Rule!) as I was finally at my daughter’s achingly empty apartment.

Anything to Spend time with These Guys!!

Wing Man was not around as he was making the last run with the U-Haul after absolutely stuffing the California bound pods.  We made some final arrangements and got on the road around 11:45pm.  I was steeling myself for another bout of the worst New York and Connecticut could throw at me because during the drive down the northbound side looked even worse than my own lethargic situation heading south.  However it failed to materialize – we flew home.  In addition, I now had a co-pilot expertly manning her I-Phone and providing sparkling conversation. The Wing Man was completely gassed by his exertions of moving a couple tons of boxes and sundry possessions all day. 

I worried a little that consciousness might be a problem but that’s where the sparkling conversationalist came in.  She plugged in a podcast (whatever the hell that is) called “Serial” that’s she been listening to.  It was fascinating.  It involves a reporter looking into the murder conviction of a young Pakistani guy that happened back in the late 1990’s.  We would listen and then discussed the case the whole way back (well that and the odd rest stop for middle aged bladders).  I got a firm promise that she would tell me how the case comes out. 

Well, ALLRIGHT!!!!

We arrived back home right at 2am so the trip back took two complete hours less than the trip south had (that’s how bad the traffic was).  Now comes the redemption phase for my wife.  Since my daughter and Wing Man won’t be with us for Christmas this year my wife spent the time I was driving by making my daughter’s favorite Christmas cookies (all was immediately forgiven).  A very long evening but those 2+ hours with my daughter were worth more than I can ever remunerate.  That did not make getting up for work at 6am any easier – well I guess it did because I didn’t regret the decision to go, whatsoever.

I’m sure everyone has been victimized by the tidal wave of information regarding the Michael Brown decision, including my poor attempt yesterday.  A friend posted the following on Facebook today.  It originated from a black NFL player and was one of the most insightful compilations of the event that I’ve seen:

“Benjamin Watson

At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:

I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.

I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.

I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.

I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.

I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day.

I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to him eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.

I'M OFFENDED, because of the insulting comments I've seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.

I'M CONFUSED, because I don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.

I'M INTROSPECTIVE, because sometimes I want to take "our" side without looking at the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel like it's us against them. Sometimes I'm just as prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that's not right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions made about me? That's not right.

I'M HOPELESS, because I've lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.

I'M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it's a beautiful thing.

 I'M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's the Gospel. So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.”

Now I’m going to go get some sleep.