Posted 2 years ago
Come Together
A couple of nights ago, I went to Applebee’s. I’ve probably been to Applebee’s a thousand times, and I could tell you what a typical Applebee’s experience is like without thinking much about it. But on this particular night, the experience was anything but typical. It was six degrees outside with the typical atmosphere inside: sports playing on at least a dozen LCD screens, flea market items covering the walls, neon lights shining through the upside-down glasses hung at the bar, and who could forget the cafe tunes playing in the background – just loud enough to keep conversations from becoming awkward.
My good friends, Michael and Atley, had spotted me in the restaurant earlier so before going home I went over to their table and sat down to say hello and visit for a moment. Only a few minutes had past when suddenly: everything went black. No power. Complete silence. As this new reality slowly set in a few people began talking again, some even laughed.
I quickly looked back and fourth, searching for anything to focus on as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Squinting through the window at the table to discover any sign of light, every building on the block blended perfectly with the night. The headlight beams from each passing vehicle cut through the darkness like a knife and gave hope that our civilization could still survive. The conversation had come to an end. Everyone was preoccupied with getting home to see if a call to the in-laws across town was in order.
I decided to drive along the Belt Highway to see how far the blackout had spread. Five miles of darkness. No working street lights. But something unusual was happening all around, something beyond the obvious darkness and cold chill. As I approached an intersection with dead stop lights I started getting a little nervous. Who is going to stop first? This looks like a recipe for disaster. But everyone knew the circumstances. Everyone knew we needed to be careful and have a plan of action for this emergency. A four-way stop was born. Like an automatic default, drivers from all four directions stopped in order and patiently waited their turn, some even flashed their headlights in place of a “head nod” to signal other drivers along.
Even earlier, as I walked towards the door leaving Applebee’s, I recollected that making small talk with others had been very easy. People were greeting one another with friendly cliches like, “It’s going to be a long winter” or “Drive safe and stay warm tonight”. Total strangers, who wouldn’t have even made eye contact with me in a normal setting, were making an effort to be kind and social. There was excitement in their voices. That night we had all been thrust into a common situation that broke all social “ice”.
We were experiencing an adventure. We were connected. Our individualism was replaced with concern for the community. I felt God speaking to me about what I was experiencing.
