Good Traffic

I got to work late this morning. Bad traffic.

It’s such a handy excuse – and in many cases it’s actually true. It’s just that because I ride my bike in, my traffic is different from beltway backups.

Last week, it was a neighbor updating me on her job, and the politicking that goes on in her office. Chatting delay. Before that, a four-year-old was calling out, “hello!” Who can resist that? When I stopped to visit, her mother offered me zucchini from their garden.

This morning, my new neighbor – a beagle – interrupted the long downhill ride along Elm Avenue. She was just adopted by an elderly friend, whose older dog recently died. Of course I had to meet her and pat those velvety ears.

The visit delayed me about as much as a malfunctioning traffic light. Or construction in the right lane. But it was much, much more enjoyable.

Sorry I was late. But not really.