Slowing Down and Taking Time

Not long ago, I called an old friend

on the spur of the moment

and made arrangements to meet for a field trip.

Even with the vagaries of Seattle-area traffic

I was only three minutes later than I'd promised,

but it took another five to find each other

in a commuter lot.

We made it to our destination just fine,

despite a multitude of tourists on a sunny day,

and had a nice meander and lots of time to talk.

Our lunch plans, however, went into flux

when we discovered a mile-long backup

to get to the little town where we'd thought go

to grab a bite,

so my friend suggested a town several miles away.

There was no waiting at all

at her secret little place

and this was our view.