Good Friends and Cadavers

I'm not generally fascinated with roadkill. Actually, I'm usually quite put off for many reasons. Germs, stench, and I like animals, so I hate seeing them dead alongside the highway. It bothers me if I hit critters as small as squirrels, and I will brake for cats and dogs. That said, sometimes the species on the shoulder can be intriguing.

This morning, I was running late. I'd gotten up late, I'd left my apartment late, and I still had to stop for gas before actually heading to work. I wasn't far out of town when I met a familiar oncoming car. What was strange though, was that they stopped, turned around, and went back to a nearby gravel intersection. As I drove on by, I realized my friends were getting out of their vehicle to look at some particular roadkill. Normally, my practical sense kicks in and would just as soon keep me driving so I could make it to work at a reasonable time. But this morning, something in me wanted to change things up a bit. So I pulled over and turned around.

Because of my decision, two cool things happened. One, I got to see my friends whom I hadn't seen in a while - how fun is that? We had a brief chat and shared some laughter. And two, I got to see a bobcat up close and personal. Granted, it was dead, but since it wasn't too marred by the accident, it really was fascinating. Enough so that I took a quick picture (which I won't share here, but if you want to see it, let me know) as proof that bobcats in our area really do exist.

After I got back in my car and once again started for work, I began thinking about all the little opportunities I probably miss every day, just because I don't want to take two minutes to stop what I'm already doing. How many times have I missed out on something neat, just because I "didn't have time"? Or what kinds of opportunities did I leave behind because I was in too much of a hurry?

They say "it's the little things" that make life worth living. I wouldn't want to live by that theology alone, but I will say it is the little things that keep me excited to be alive, and I think God gives us those little things to keep us smiling and keep us focused on things outside of ourselves.

Life's too short to just keep on driving. Stop and turn around once in a while. You might see something neat. Like a dead bobcat.