The terrible thing about having a child who gets easily carsick is that you have a child who gets easily carsick. The minor upside however is that sometimes you end up stopping in places you probably otherwise never would.
Ila, Georgia is so small that if you blink going through the intersection, you’ll miss it. Its actual incorporated town limits are less than a square mile, and best I can tell it consists of exactly one gas station, a wrecker service, a Dollar General, an elementary school, two churches, and a handful of homes.
We pulled over there on the way to a park the weekend after Thanksgiving so that my little guy could walk around, get some fresh air, and hopefully turn a few shades less green. The townspeople were setting up for their tree lighting celebration that evening; adorning a little stage with lights in the open lot next to the gas station, while the large tree at the intersection stood across the street ready for its big moment.
As we finished our hike and headed home we decided to go back through the town. With the boys waiting on their second vaccine dose and a new virus variant on the loose we knew we’d never feel comfortable getting out and in the middle of a mass of people, but we still thought it might be fun to catch a glimpse of the festivities. For such a tiny town the celebration had drawn a good size crowd, and it was a little surreal taking in such a normal looking scene: people grouped together talking and laughing, kids flooding two giant inflatable bounce houses, the band on stage playing their own rockin’ versions of Christmas carols while a large assembly of onlookers huddled together and sang along.
Sitting in traffic at the intersection taking it all in I noticed a woman standing behind a not-quite-life-size Santa, a thin string tied around his hand so that she could make him “wave” to children and passersby.
If you read my last post then you already know that photos of strangers induce quite a bit of anxiety in me. I’m not sure what made me do it, but after a few moments I picked up my camera and gestured to it, asking if I could take a photo. She looked a little surprised but smiled and nodded that I could. As she made Santa “wave” for the camera she began to laugh at the silliness, and I couldn't help but laugh along as well.
It was one of those moments of human connection that I fear have become rather rare and hard to find these days. I was proud of myself for being brave and making the image, but more than that I was elated to have shared this joyful little moment with a stranger. Even from afar and without any actual words spoken, the exchange made the world feel a little less isolating. I’ve thought back to it many times. It’s the feeling I wish to carry into the year ahead, and it’s my wish for you as well. May we find bravery in the moments offered to us, and connection when we need it most.