-^-for posterity-^-

whenever it was dark, i could always rely on my car’s headlight system to get me home safely. i would turn a switch and all of the sudden the road would be illuminated. i didn’t really have to do anything except make sure the battery was good. i took it all for granted. how many nights did i drive home following the safety of these glowing headlights. here, things are different.

my bicycle doesn’t have any lights. it is actually equipped with a small light that is supposed to be powered by the movement of my front tire. it doesn’t work and i have not fixed it. when it did work, it cast a shallow beam on the road ahead of me. if it was pitch black and there no motorbikes to show the way, i would be able to see a frog in my path. if i was observant enough, i would be able to avoid said frog.

when it is raining and after about six o’clock (it gets dark here at about five thirty), the drive home used to be an adventure. driving down the main streets, i would be guided by helpful motorbikes driving the same direction. they would honk and beep and warn my humble bicycle that someone was coming. their light always gave them away before their aural alarms. after the main street came the back road which was not paved and which did not have light from other motorbikes. this road was a desert covered with pressed rock. there was no pavement here. this road was dangerous. i have often hit a piece of rock that had jutted out to the side and swerved off course. i have often slid in a small patch of mud that acts as ice. the road was a hazard.

yesterday two road lights were installed. they were placed high above the road between trees. how magnificent such a small improvement can seem when you’re driving home without the aid of a headlight. how amazing it becomes. i drove home tonight and easily avoided any displaced rock or treacherous patch of mud. the moon was covered with clouds and rain pattered down on my jacket but i was safe. the night was dark but the road was clear. thank your car’s headlights. in the morning, go out and give them a kiss (especially if you travel early!). flick them on and off just to remember that you do not have to travel down murky roads as if swimming in a pool of pitch.