Folks throw out comments like the above to remind others to slow down and enjoy life. True, but it also holds that we rush through life without just paying attention to the variety of humanity around us. Today I had a thought before doing my morning mile walk to Starbucks, thinking, “Maybe today I will run into Larry, a Palm Springs cart pusher.” I had written a blog entry about him last year, and you can move down my blog into last year until you find “Angels in Disguise.” So I printed that out and figured if I ran into him someday, would give him a copy. Why my “inner voice” told me that, I am not sure.
I was only at the corner when I saw my first interesting person, a big guy at least 60 or older, on roller blades! Isn’t that cool? Then as I get down by St. Teresa’s I spot Larry and his loaded up cart. As I approached he gave me a shout out, “Blessings to your spirit.” We shook hands, I gave him the copy of my blog entry and told him that he was in it. I went on my way, but trust that little writing made his day.
In a few minutes I am past the high school and walking by the skate-board park, with its multiple imitation swimming pools. Since the kids are in school, I wasn’t surprised to see only a guy in his 40’s up there with a skateboard. Wow, another adventurer. Giving a thought to using a board and flinging myself off the edge into that concrete canyon, I had a momentary thrill. Then I pictured myself flying off the board onto my head and breaking my 71 year old arm. To paraphrase an old song, “The Thrill is Gone.”
While sitting at Starbucks and doing the morning crossword, I spot a younger guy with a backpack at another table on the patio. Looked to me like he was sleeping maybe. Backpacks in the middle of Palm Springs usually indicate: homeless or at least down and out. Thought maybe I would offer him a coffee and donut when I left. As I approached I noted that he was using his $200 I-phone/gadget. To quote another country song, “Walk on By.”
It must have been my day for interesting folks. At the corner on Sunrise I see a black guy on a tri-wheeled bike, wearing a helmet. He obviously had hit his head at some point because he was shaking his fists at drivers and yelling profanities. No need to repeat them here. As he started right across the street against the light, I thought, “Brad you are going to be a witness to a blood and guts accident right NOW.” No, cars slowed down and he went flying on by, shouting at the demons he was fighting.
Across the street at the bus stop I run into Alejandro and Guadalupe, a Mexican couple that I have known for years, because they come to the Well daily for the free lunch. (I volunteer there once a week and have done so for four years.) They are the friendliest folks on earth. We chat for a bit and I head on toward home. Down the street on his bike comes Art, another regular at the Well. Art is a Filipino and can collector so he always has a big plastic bag with his “haul.” He yells at me, “Brad, aren’t you kind of old to be walking out here?” With a laugh he goes on by.
I mulled over my contacts of the morning, realizing that if I sat in my gated condo complex or just drove by these folks in my car, I would be missing some of the variety of roses that the good Lord has planted here in the desert. The title of this little blog entry then took on a new meaning for me.
Good stuff, Brad. I am glad that you are seeing the world around you.
Don