An Independent Wiper Blade

how it captured my attention

This afternoon, behind this car for a while, I kept praying that every stoplight would turn red so I could get a photo without endangering anyone or any cars!

We went through three or four green lights before finally there was JUST enough time before a red one turned green to capture this gone astray windshield wiper.

I have never seen one so far in the opposite direction of its normal path.

Completely amused from the minute I noticed it, I of course began to think about various perspectives or scenarios.

First of all, I knew the gift of humor came at a time when it felt like life this past week was like the windshield wiper. When out on my errand, things had not yet righted themselves, so I felt close identification.

Life does this.

It’s not because I don’t switch it on to do the ‘right thing’ or ‘be the right way’ or heaven forbid, align with ‘shoulds.’

It just goes awry in different ways and, in some moments, completely in the opposite direction of what I expected, trusted, and hoped.

There’s that.

And then I began to imagine the windshield wiper finding the courage to do something different.

Maybe it wanted to “spread its own wiper wings.”

Maybe it was trying to escape the same repeated patterns and go look for something more in alignment with what it wants to be.

Maybe it was tired of being alone and wished it at least could have been like the front wiper blades and have companionship.

Perhaps it was stuck in a job it was tired of doing and in which life only needed it some of the time.

If I set my mind to it, I can imagine that more to this metaphor will pop in, but because the week has been the way it has and writing time has been minimal, I will leave it to you to see what else comes to mind.

I have a feeling I am not the only one who saw something true in this wonderfully humorous view that thankfully stayed in front of me long enough to have fun with it.

In the week ahead I trust things will right themselves; if there are moments that feel opposite of what is expected, I will remember the humorous gift of this one wiper blade.

A question: does one need to get a whole new car or a new wiper blade?

Sometimes when “a part” or some parts go awry or don’t work “right,” it can feel like all of life is off course.

It’s a real feeling. Then I stop and dip into my well of today and draw up the many dippers of all that is right with my world, a far longer list that nourishes me and feeds my soul.

What does the errant wiper blade bring to mind for you?