Enjoying the Foliage

There’s two ways to come into Monster from where I live. One is a scenic, meandering tree-lined route, where New England’s spectacular foliage is on full display among the farm stands, white-steeple churches and vintage colonials. The other is all highway, five miles longer but a bit shorter time-wise.

For my first weeks here, I’ve taken the highway to save time, complete with the speeding, tailgating and aggressive driving that also are hallmarks of New England. The other day I decided to take the scenic route for a change. I’ve mentioned its perks, but a major drawback is that it’s a truck route -- and school buses stop at practically every house along it in the morning. I grew up in a small city north of Boston, so I’m not used to the school bus phenomenon -- the city is less than five square miles, so everyone walks to school or their parents drive them. When I see those flashing lights and the red stop sign groaning away from the side of the bus, I tend to groan myself.

The other day I had to stop for some kids taking their time getting off the bus. My first reaction was to white-knuckle the steering wheel out of frustration. I looked away from the road at the foliage, really looked at it, and got lost in the fiery reds and golds. I was completely in awe of the beauty around me and realized I had been speeding past it every day in a huge hurry. I almost was sorry when traffic started to move.

I began thinking about all the other things many of us probably just rush right past to get to what we feel are the essentials, especially at work. How many of us have spent days, even weeks, with our heads down, concentrating on getting our work done and not seeing the forest for the trees? Who among us don’t take that important class, shake that hand or keep up with what’s going on in the world? I know we’re all guilty of this sometimes, so this article provides some tips on keeping your eye on the ball -- and the whole ballpark.

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