Weirdo

Tuesday morning was just like most other school mornings. Got up for the 6:45 minyan, got back to the house around 7:30, grabbed my lunch bag, coffee filled mug, paper-towel bib, car keys, and drove off toward Lake Shore Drive. (You mean you don't protect your shirt when drinking coffee while driving? ARE YOU FREAKING INSANE???)

Anyhoo, traffic is always a little backed up on Ridge just South of Peterson at 7:50 AM, so while stopped, I pick up my mug to take a few sips. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the bearded, 40-something guy in a red sedan in the right lane doing the same thing, picking up his mug and drinking. And he sees me. And he smiles, and lifts his mug toward mine, as if to toast me over the 7-foot distance between us, divided by two car doors, two closed windows, and a lack of past interaction.

And I'm flabbergasted. I smiled and quickly looked away, because after all, who the heck does this guy think he is? It's not like we know each other. Does he think we're special or similar because we're both on our way to somewhere we don't want to be, drinking coffee at 8AM while stopped at a red light? Is this something we should bond over? Like no one else drinks coffee while stopped at a red light. The nerve of this guy. Trying to be social and cheery at 8AM.

The incident threw me off for about the next two hours. I think sometimes we need breaks in routine, to remind us that we're alive.

Or, maybe he just liked the bib.