Show the world your smile

People are strange.

Case in point, today, driving home from work in White Rock (*sigh*), I was stuck in traffic behind this dude. He can only be referred to as dude. He was on a Harley, which I have to say I do NOT find attractive. Something about the way they are hunched over those handlebars that are ridiculously far from their bodies just is not hot to me. Anyways, dude, is on this black harley with green flames on it. He's in full gear, with bike boots, tight ass jeans, black leather (or possibly pleather?!) coat and metallic green helmet. I have a hard time taking seriously any man in metallic green. I think he was attempting to match his little round helmet to his green flames but the flames were lime kool aid green and the helmet was more of a kelly green and it was just not quite right. I will remind you that I was stuck in traffic, hence the level of thought that went into the ensemble. Normally he would not have even caught my eye... well maybe not caught my eye long enough to blog about anyways.

Dude was enjoying his bike despite the traffic, weaving off as if he was going to turn left and then PSYCH weaving back in front of me. I almost ran him over once when it looked as though he was going into the left hand turn lane and I attempted to move up in the hideous line before one of my fellow drivers did. Dude was also engaging in what I would label as overly friendly behavior. He was smiling a big (goofy) smile and nodding to the neighboring drivers. From the look on one recipient's face, he didn't actually know them. He as just nodding and giving this crazy grin. I've seen that grin somewhere before... not sure where. At first it just caught my eye, on the second offence, I thought it was odd and began to watch him more closely. On the third try, when he hunched over to peer in the wee side mirror on the bike and give me a grin (I am 99% sure the grin was accompanied by that noise one makes when they smile and kind suck in - sort of a cluck - it was that kind of smile) and an eye brow paired with nod, I decided he was worthy of a blog. When I noticed he was talking to himself as well, I realized the decision was made for me.

I felt strangely uncomfortable and unsure where to look. He reminded me of a certain young man who chased myself and misty down the streets of Victoria screaming at the top of his drug filled lungs "HEY LAAADDDIEEEESSSSS!!!" while literally ripping his shirt off to expose his completely undeveloped pecs and pasty white skin. Ahhh, hot.

The mirror gazing biker was so confident so sure that I and the rest of the middle aged women stuck in their cars on a hot day were secretly wishing we were on the bike. Where do men get that confidence and why can't we women buy some of that?

I chided myself for thinking so cynically... perhaps he had just come to know Jesus and was sharing his joy of the Lord with the rest of us. Perhaps he just won a million dollars. Perhaps he too was listening to India Arie's "There's Hope" and her lyrics "it doesn't cost a thing to smile, you don't have to pay to laugh, you'd better thank God for that". Perhaps he had botox injections prior but instead of having an expressionless face, had a perma smile. Perhaps I should smile back and just be nice? Is it nice to smile back or foolish? What is the proper etiquette in traffic line ups?

I pretended not to notice his grin. Eventually traffic moved and he vroom-vroom-zoomed ahead of me and cut off some semi-truck to risk his life to impress us all.

Perhaps he wasn't so weird afterall... either that or the fumes were getting to me. At any rate he kept my brain occupied during a rather boring spell.

stand up for your rights
keep shining your light
show the world your smile.