Scattered thoughts...

It's funny how the people you see become familiar to you. You may not even know their name but you know their face. I hesitate to call it a "connection" because that would imply some sort of communication, but you have something in common with these folks. They are a part of your life. Take the adorable old couple who walk past me every so often on my way to work for example. We exchange our greetings and my day is a little brighter for it. I miss them when I don't see them. Or the cute trainer at the gym who works on Wednsdays and makes me feel old every time he calls me "Sir." I'll miss Peppermint Patty Wednesdays when they're not around anymore. Piglet & Tigger passed away this weekend, a day apart. Those voices, so familiar to children and former children, play over and over in many of our heads. They will be missed even though most of us never met them.

These folks become part of, to steal a phrase from Aaron Neville and the Cotton industry, the fabric of our lives. They are fixtures, familiar things; sort of like signposts, they let us know where we are in the world. When they're gone, the world changes a little and so do we.

I wonder what would happen if we took just a couple of moments to connect with these folks. Yesterday this kid - he couldn't be more than 19 - helped out some girls who were terrified becuase they were on the wrong bus. He reassured them where it was safe to get off and how to catch a taxi so they would feel safer and get there quicker. Thing is, I'm sure this kid is a hustler. He has the requisite backpack. I overheard him and fellow working boy talking shop once. He once asked me for change and was unfailingly polite and thankful when I gave him a dollar. And here he was - this child who life has obviously kicked around - taking the time to help out someone else. He was so sweet I wanted to hug him. He deserved it. Maybe next time I see him I'll say something about it.

There are people like this in all of our lives. Some of them wear business suits and some of them have lip rings. No matter what package they come in, every one of them has a story and it's always more complex than you'd imagine. Lately if life (and blogging) has taught me anything, it's that. I only hope my story can be as interesting and uplifting to everyone else as theirs are to me.

-J.

This post was sponsored by the Oddly Introspective Tuesday Committee.