Corvair
One thing I’ve struggled with since we moved is the lack of community I’ve experienced here in Olathe. I have to admit that the city does try, but there are almost too many people to have any appreciable sense of community. Even after 6 months, and one block party at the end of the summer, I still hardly know my neighbors. This is as much my fault as anyone’s, but it is harder here.
For example, when I worked for SBS, I lived in the same community as the guys I worked with. One of them literally lived across the parking lot from the office, and I was just a couple of blocks away. I’d frequently run into my co-workers at the grocery store, or while we were attending the latest event taking place in one of the area towns.
At Garmin, I work with people from all over the city. The only time I see these people are at work, unfortunately. I live literally across the street from Garmin, but with the large distances between our homes, I doubt I’ll run into many of them very often outside of the job.
At KCAI, I’m the one that lives far from the workplace, so I sometimes feel like an outsider coming into a somewhat unfamiliar community.
I commute every morning to the Art Institute, which is always an interesting experience. I often feel somewhat removed from myself as I drive amongst the masses of cars to my destination. It’s very impersonal, with everyone tooling along in their own little bubble. Sometimes when traffic is stopped, I like to look around at the people in the cars nearby, and most aren’t paying attention to anyone else. Am I the only one who’s interested in the people travelling down the road with me each morning?
It can be depressing making that drive, seeing a whole new landscape each day as cars file past full of people I’ve never met, and probably never will meet.
Lately, however, I’ve been given a small ray of hope. Each day, my route takes me down near the Plaza, and for several days now I’ve either ended up near or behind an old fellow in a Corvair.
I look forward to seeing him on some mornings, so I take time to look around for him when I don’t spot him right away. He takes his time, like he isn’t in a rush (like most other people on the road), but he isn’t annoyingly slow, either. I don’t know if he lives in the area, or if he’s going to work. Maybe he’s heading to a favorite place to meet up with friends, or going to grab a bite to eat to start the day.
That Corvair always makes me smile, because there’s a small piece of community there on the road with me. I’d like to meet that man someday. Somehow, in the morning menagerie that takes place on the roads of Kansas City, Missouri, I cross paths with this person by happenstance, and he’s a small reminder that community isn’t as far away as it sometimes seems.