I love meeting people! I consider myself a collector and connoisseur of stories and moments in time. Being always on the lookout for unique people to get to know, I never pass up a chance to inquire about an oddity or interesting situation. I enjoy being in the moment with them to learn a bit of their passion and watch them light up as they describe their passions. You never know when these opportunities will strike and you must always be at the ready to jump out of your comfort zone to engage people. Even at a gas station at 3am.
Meeting People - First Contact
My nightly work routine brings me to a gas station usually between 2am and 4am to refuel, grab a bite to eat, or refill my drink. This gas station is next to a major interstate and offers unique opportunities to meet people. You can't imagine the sights, sounds, and smells that congregate at a 24 hour gas station at this time of night. It is beautiful and horrifying in the same moment. The worlds of reality and the bizarre commingling like a mist over a pond in the cool morning air. The types of people darting in and out of this wayside portal metro oasis are as varied as the stars and can range from the ridiculous to the sublime. It is a feast for the senses and sheer ecstasy for a collector of moments, like myself.
This particular night was no different. I am minding my own business, gassing up my vehicle watching the pimps and princess stroll in and out of the electric illumination when a ragged, choking truck pulled in next to me with the most glorious creation I had seen that night. In the bed of this truck was a green and black personification of Frakensteinian creativity - a rat rod bicycle!
Meeting People - It's Alive!
As I am standing there, transfixed by the majesty and might of this creation, the driver steps out and sees me hypnotized by the work of his hands. He is a tall, slender, slithering gentleman. He is adorned with the typical garage threads of denim, grease, and gas fumes. As he notices my reaction to his offspring, his smile widens like that of a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman who knows he has you hooked. I stop everything I am doing and make a beeline to the bed of his backwoods chariot to admire his beast a bit closer. He leans in and says with a twinkle in his eyes, "I built her myself". Well of course you did, no modern company possesses the creativity and bravery to unleash such magnificence upon the world! He took me up and down and front to back of this rat rod bicycle explaining every decision, nut, bolt, and dream.
I marveled the bike for several moments and then we begin to discuss how he came up with the idea and the possibilities it held. I was quick to add that this could really take off with regular guys who like to modify things, but can't afford a Harley. That he should start a Facebook group and get similar minded guys together to form a sort of rat rod bicycle club. It may sound cheesy to some but how amazingly glorious would it be to see a parking lot full of these beasts of uniqueness lined up shining in all of their glory? Their owners standing tall with pride of possessing something truly unique.
Meeting People - Adieu
We the good Dr. and I finished our impromptu brainstorming session on the future of rat rod bicycle gangs roaming rural America he slithered back into this dusty chariot and disappeared at the edge of the fluorescent illumination and into history. I honestly hope I wake up one day and read an article about his bustling company of creating custom bikes. These are the moments you can miss if you keep your blinders on and stay within the box of your own perception. Take a chance on the world and open yourself up to all of the good, bad, ugly, dirty, lovely, beautiful, crazy, deranged, disfigured, rusted goodness it has to offer!
You may also like my article about everyday inspiration!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://papacrusher.vornix.blog/2018/08/16/meeting-people-rat-rod-bicycle/
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All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien