Driving home tonight, I’d been waiting in line at a stoplight when I looked up and saw them. They were halfway across the street, and I couldn’t take my eyes off their slow moving forms. Both were tall and graceful. She wore skinny jeans and a parka, he wore baggy jeans and a hoodie. He stood on the pedals of his bike, slightly behind her, hand on the brake, matching her pace. She walked with her back straight, her eyes forward; obviously aware of him – comfortable with him. They looked so young, so confident. They embodied contentment.

He pulled the bike up on the sidewalk, and stepped to the ground, putting a hand on her shoulder. Neither spoke. She climbed on the back of the bike, standing on the axle pegs, still graceful, now with her hands on his shoulders. Then they rolled forward, past my car, going back the direction from whence I’d come. The light turned green, and I smiled, resuming my own forward motion.

So strange what unexpected moments can catch your heart, and lift you up.