An Incredible Hour In Paris

     I spent an incredible hour sitting alone at an outdoor sidewalk cafe while vacationing in Paris this past summer.  It was a very busy intersection and the traffic lights had malfunctioned.  It was rush hour and seemed totally chaotic; with cars, trucks, motor bikes and pedestrians all trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible.  The noise was deafening.  Four policemen were directing traffic, blowing their shrill whistles and waving their arms about.  I could see birds flying above the street but could not hear their cries.

     A middle aged businessman reached the sidewalk safely and spoke to me, shaking his head.  I didn't need a translator to tell me he was more than a little agitated.

     As I watched I began to realize how smoothly everything was going forward.  Mothers pushed baby carriages through the gnarled traffic.  A small child held tightly to a nanny's hand.  A very elderly couple supported one another and they were smiling.  It came to me that everyone was taking the inconvenience pretty much in stride.

     Most incredible of all was an elderly blind man who navigated the intersection, tapping his white cane from side to side.  Occasionally a fellow pedestrian gently touched his arm, alerting him to an obstacle that normally wasn't there.

     The traffic lights suddenly came back to life.  The whistles stopped blowing and the policemen quickly disappeared.  Traffic began to proceed in a normal fashion.  Rush hour was over and all was well.  The birds were still flying overhead and now I could hear their voices. ... JH