Meadow yesterday, street today ...

This afternoon I was driving between Eastside client appointments. I had to pull off the freeway in my hometown to fax a contract change to a client out-of-state. I drove down the main boulevard through town and spotted a copy/fax shop on an unfamiliar street corner. I looked up at the intersecting street sign hanging perfectly square on the gleaming, ornate new traffic light post. Searching my memory, I couldn't place the name of the street for the life of me, and don't recall there ever having been such a street at that location before. In fact, my car would never have sat idle at that spot before because it never used to be an intersection.
As I looked down this street that previously didn't exist, it was lined door-to-door with big box and large chain retailers, which would never have been in my hometown growing up. I looked back up at the surrounding and lushly forrested hillsides and mountains for some hints of recognition. They appeared the same, except with dozens more rooftops poking up out of the timberline.

When I finally reached my destination, the people wandering about this large chain store were from a myriad of cultures, many with thick and varying accents. I searched the place to no avail for a familiar face. It became blatantly obvious this was no longer my hometown. Now I remember where I was, a beautiful meadow once peacefully existed where this street and retail complex now sprawl ...

Well, I guess the good news is this dead meadow today enabled me to conveniently send my client his document via fax. Cool.