The world is a lovely place, strung together by nameless moments with good people in extraordinary circumstances; that simple car ride being one of them. We hopped into the car like any other night, oblivious the extraordinary outcome we were about to endure. It was a cool Georgia night, with the windows down and the music playing we drove over winding roads, and farms that stretched on for miles. We were delivering very late notice graduation invites that Alison had insisted on. Will was driving, one hand on the steering wheel with the other one moving as the words poured out of his mouth.
“and BAM we hit the car!” Will said with a wild grin.
He went on to tell us proudly about how he “only suffered a black eye” and that it was “no big deal.” When we both knew at the time he acted like his life was over.
“Was the before or after you made me wait on you hand and foot?” Alison retorted, with an over-dramatic eye-roll.
“Hey now, we both know that this,” showing off all his angles, “is my money maker,” replied Will again with his wild grin.
The car filled with laughter and Will’s face blushed with slight embarrassment. Alison and Will had grown up together and it was at times like these that I understood the importance of having people around you who could remind how great it was to be alive. The next day they would be graduating, and I knew it frightened them both even if they didn’t want to admit it. He would be going to Georgia Southern and she would be at Florida State in only a month. They had nothing romantic, but every memory they had, had been together, and now they would be transitioning to a new milestone in life, without each other.
But as the night moved on and they told countless stories about their lives, the fear lessened. I couldn’t help but smile as they told me about the time that they had been hanging out one day and got snowed in and Will had to spend the next three days with Alison and her family. Will had gone to take a shower, only to take one in freezing water because he didn’t know how to work it.
“It was absolutely awful, but I didn’t want to say anything” Will told motioning with his hands showing just how cold he was.
Alison trying to make out a word, failed miserably as her laugh engulfed her.
“That was totally your fault, you dumby!” she said with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.
Consumed by laughter, I thought to myself just how marvelous it was that the concept of life was to be lived and enjoyed. To not settle but enjoy the simple nameless pleasures and moments that life gave to us. That although you may not remember every laugh that poured out of your mouth, the happiness of your golden years would always linger in every wrinkle of your face. How lovely it was that you would make mistakes but your mistakes would not make you. How marvelous it was that our lives are a grand adventure, that when greeted by death, death will tremble to take us, for we had existed and lived in the world balanced by love, happiness, sorrow, grief, and regret.
The road winded on and the soft hum of the engine gave rhythm to our words and stories, connecting us all in ways we would never forget and we rode off, not into the future, but into the now, into our lives.