Stuck in traffic I was waiting my turn to merge into the next lane. You see, the road I was taking was slowed due to resurfacing. (You know how long of a wait that can be!!) I wasn't in a hurry so waiting wasn't a problem. I was patiently resigned to just wait until some nice soul allowed me in. I didn't have to wait long. As I looked to my left, watching for that kind soul, I was surprised to see this young man, a teenager, with his hand out his drivers' window, kindly motioning me in. I smiled, waved him my "thank you" and merged.

We live in an area where kids are nice. There isn't the graffiti defacing the walls and fences. It's common for a smiling teenager to hold a door open for you just because it's the nice thing to do. Drivers will always slow down to let a pedestrian cross, even without a crosswalk. Horns don't blow out of rage. Lines are short and life is good.

And should you be stuck in traffic and the car behind you blows its horn, don't be surprised to look in your rear view mirror to discover a friend waving hello.

Ahh . . . Home Sweet Columbia Home.