Do you find that people seem lost in their own world lately?  Well, the other morning enroute to work, the traffic was moving at a snail's pace. Perhaps not bad if you're relaxing, talking a leisurely ride, but when enroute to work, time is important. 45 minutes for a 20 minute ride. And guess what caused the traffice jam? The traffic flow had been changed from 3-2 lanes, plus here was this guy, texting, and holding up traffic. Funny, no horns sounded and each time the texter realized he was stalling traffic, he'd speed up only to slow down. And then you'd see his head look down for 1-2 mintues. And you knew he was texting again. Frustrating to say the least. The sad part is that he didn't seem the least bit concerned.

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An older woman slowly climbed the stairs, one step at a time. A few of us waited patiently, to descend. No sooner, a young man, rushed, brushing my shoulder and skipped down the stairs. The older woman turned sideways to let the intruder by. As soon as he descended the stairs, he began a leisurely walk. We all looked in amazement. One of the women only asked, " What's the hurry?"  Hmm, I thought, someday, the stakes may be turned as this young lad, now elderly may encounter a similar fate. I doubt that he'll even remember this incident.

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I'd just left church a few Sundays ago. Two blocks away, a rather young man (mid-30's perhaps), rifled through the garbage.  Instantly I felt drawn and reached to hand him some money. As I got closer, I noted that eventhough his clothes were tattered and beard scruffy, he looked well-kempt.  I queried, "Have you eaten today? Here's something to help". I reached to hand him some money.  He looked at me, said, "No thanks, I just ate", then hurried off. I looked at his face,  and despite his tattered clothing, I questioned whether he was homeless. I paused. Was he a man of means who chose to live this way? Was he a reporter? Was he a garbage eater by choice?

Wow, what an eye opener. Here I was making assumptions, feeling that I could help someone and this seeminlgy "undomiciled" man  was challenging my assumptions. I know that there are groups such as the "freegans" who reclaim and eat discarded food and other groups dubbed "garbage eaters". But I didn't really consider this at first site.  Our encounter was definitely food for thought. Definitely a thought to be recycled.

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Wow, life really throws some curve balls. Hopefully we're not too lost in our own worlds to ponder their meanings.