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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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TRAFFIC CONES
In my neighborhood there are a number of traffic cones marking where work is being done on storm water drainage and sidewalks. They stand along the road, like soldiers in orange uniforms, guarding the traffic from soft dirt, loose gravel, and unexpected holes. They maintain their positions day and night, no matter what weather conditions exist. They are universally recognized. However this week I noticed something about those traffic cones that I had never noticed before. As I walked past the cones one morning, I realized that they were covered with frost from the night before. When I looked closer, it occurred to me that some of the frost was melting away. The east side of each cone was beginning to drip as the rising sun shown on that side of the cone and warmed up the ice crystals. Yet the west side of each cone was still covered with a coating of white, hoarfrost. With my interest piqued, I began to look around the neighborhood. Where there were tall brick chimneys, a lone strip of white stood in the shadow of the smoke stack while the rest of the roof’s surface was becoming free of frost. Where tree limbs and evergreen boughs blocked the sunlight, frost remained on the ground below. Clearly the frost was melting away where the sunlight could reach it, but remained where darkness prevailed. Then it occurred to me that our lives are like those traffic cones, rooftops, and patches of ground. Where we allow the light to touch us, we warm up and expose ourselves. In those places hidden from the light, our true self becomes obscured and perhaps even unnoticed. Unlike those traffic cones, however, we have the power to turn ourselves toward the light.
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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