 |
| Jacksonville, Oregon ©KAH |
4 Hours Driving
Mean People vs. Nice People or visa versa…
The drive from Jacksonville Oregon to Portland was about 4
hours and completely doable. I did hit traffic on my way into Portland at 3pm
on a Friday but I’m told this is the only time there is traffic here…
Some noteable “things” on my roadtrip/journey… I stopped in
an adorable coffeeshop in Jacksonville on the morning of my departure. It was reviewed on
yelp as “the best coffee in Jacksonville” and though I can’t agree, having not
been to any others there, I can say it was awesome and I do recommend it. The
girl behind the counter was friendly and welcoming. I asked her how she liked
living there and she said she absolutely loved it. Upon further prodding I
learned that she was born and raised in Jacksonville and couldn’t think of any
reason to leave. She said, “there’s so much to do here”. Her brother, she told
me, lives in Portland and when he comes to visit he claims the opposite. Again
reminding me of the importance of the and difference in perspectives. Since I
live in a small town myself I can definitely relate to the girl – there’s
hiking and outdoor activities, things you can do anywhere like reading, hobbies
such as painting or drawing, meeting with friends and even shopping. And living
40 minutes from San Francisco I can relate to her brother as well.
What truly struck me about the interaction was how nice and
happy this girl of maybe 18 or 20 years old was. She was so bubbly that her inner beauty nearly
blinded me. I left the shop feeling elated myself, in a better mood for having
met her.
I decided to drive a block to the main strip, pull over in
the tiny town and take a photo, so I did. Immediately a large SUV pulled up
behind me and flashed their lights at me. I was partially in a parking space
and partially in a driveway so I thought they wanted to turn into the driveway.
I moved up into the space. The car remained there for a beat longer, unmoving. I
went back to what I was doing. The driver then pulled up next to me and stopped
glaring at me through her passenger window, eyes narrowed, fangs exposed,
perhaps displeased that I was even alive. She then drove off and took a right
turn at the corner. Mean people don’t phase me much anymore so I went back to
what I was doing. The SUV driver went around the block and parked in the space
behind me before the driveway, about 10 paces from my car. The driver got out
and walked by me on the sidewalk, stopping to glare at me again through my
passenger window. It was an older woman I would guestimate to be in her 70’s,
well put together with lovely white gray hair.
What struck at that moment was the dichotomy between the
young happy girl in the coffee shop and the older angry woman – both residents
of the same town, both living opposite experiences. I don’t think age has
anything to do with it but I do think attitude does. At first I thought – wow
there are mean, angry people living everywhere, even in tiny, idyllic,
picture-perfect towns. Could it be that one person’s idea of heaven is
another’s nightmare? My sister lived for 20 years in Paris, France. This is
many people’s dream but she was miserable and unhappy there.
That’s when I surmised that it’s not your circumstances,
it’s your attitude. Life is hard for everyone but I truly believe that positive
happy people are nice to others and mean negative people are cruel to others.
This would include family members, strangers and friends. And of course not
everyone is one thing all of the time but it really does seem to be that most
people have a disposition. I no longer look at things in black and white, I see
shades of gray however for this analogy black and white works perfectly.
 |
| Driving in Oregon ©KAH |
The angry mean woman did walk by my car another time or two
with her fangs bared though I’m still not sure what she was trying to accomplish.
Did she want to upset me by being overtly angry at me, showing me her
displeasure over the fact that I even existed on the same planet as her? Or was
it simply that she doesn’t know any other way to be? I think it’s the latter
and how sad for her and all of those other miserable people who go through life
hating everyone and everything. In truth, it seems exhausting.
The drive itself was gorgeous! Oregon is amazingly beautiful with trees everywhere, even on the car license plates... I listened to my books all the way there :)
No comments:
Post a Comment