There was a car on fire last week. 
A red Hyandai Sante Fe.
The entire front engine was engulfed in flames.
It was stopped on the highway
In the lane I typically travel on my morning commute.

The traffic was at a standstill.
Slowly the lanes began to merge over.
I passed the fiery carnage.
The flames were so hot, I could feel them 
Licking and heating up my driver side window.
I couldn’t look to see if there was a person trapped.
It was peculiar and strange.

As the cars started trickling back onto the empty highway,
I felt a sense of belonging with the other cars and trucks.
We all just witnessed that.
Now we’re trying to get back to our commutes,
Back to reality,
But we all shared an experience.
Though we may never meet and talk about it.

As individuals in our culture and society, 
we feel immune to the real world.
Our cars give us a sense of self-importance.
This experience made me realize that even sharing the road
Denotes a connection.

We may keep distracted with work, devices, and busyness
Claiming busy as a badge of honor.
We’re all busy.
But how do you live?
What lights you up when the workload fades into the background
For just a moment?

No longer surrounded by grasping or striving,
What else is there to discover?

Do you have a buried treasure of your own
Just waiting for you to be still enough
To observe its shine and discover its potential?