Hubby and I are basically country folks, so when our route takes us through a big city, we’re a little nervous. The high-speed, crowded city driving is scary, especially as we get older and wiser. Both of us took physics in college so we have an idea of the forces involved with giant machines going 70 mph only a few feet away. Dare we trust the semi driver has had enough sleep and is in full control of his vehicle and trailer? Is that Gen Z kid zipping in and out of traffic, going way over the speed limit, crazy or high? One bad move on their or our parts, and this whole line of traffic is in trouble and someone could get hurt.
This past week, we made a trip past Fort Worth and through downtown Dallas. We hit Fort Worth on Monday around noon and found most of the roads weren’t that busy. We weaved our way through the many spaghetti bowls of roads and continued through downtown Dallas. The road is elevated as it winds through the tall buildings. We encountered very little traffic there and were glad to have avoided the crowd.
We made our way to the town of Murphy where we met friends for lunch. We spent a while visiting, then went to a catfish restaurant for lunch. The conversation was so good we lost track of time. It was about 4 pm when we left the restaurant to head back through the suburbs north of the DFW metroplex. That’s not a good time to travel there. The roads were crowded with people trying to get home as fast as they could. With patience, white knuckles, and luck, we finally made it through. Once we got away far enough, the traffic thinned out, and the rest of the way home was fine.
When I was a kid, my granddad took us kids to Six Flags every once and a while. We drove some of those same roads we went over on this trip. One building (top left in the gallery) was a familiar sight and brought lots of memories back. I remember passing the place where they made Mrs. Baird’s bread. The smell of baking bread would fill the car. How I loved driving past that spot. On this trip, there was no smell of bread, and the roads were much bigger and faster. We drove past Six Flags, but it didn’t look the same as back then. The memories remain, but the scenery has changed.
Visiting large cities is fun, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Traffic is part of the reason we like living in smaller towns. The streets are less crowded and slower. It’s easier to show kindness while driving when people aren’t looking for way to get around you as quickly as possible.
Us two country mice will keep visiting the city, but we’ll be content living in our country home and leave the high-speed living to others.
And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;... Isaiah 32:18