The Milk of Human Kindness

What has happened to people? Recently, I had the opportunity to step back and notice a few individuals interact with their fellow passengers. First, on a business trip, I took a short flight to Albuquerque; no big deal. Everyone reading this has probably flown on a plane at some point and knows the general routine. The plane touches down; the flight attendants welcome you to the city where you just arrived and notify you that it is safe to turn on your cell phones. After a few moments (sometimes), you arrive at the gate when a simple 'ding' alerts you that you may remove your seat belt. At this point, everyone begins to gather their things and then when their turn comes they exit the plane with their belongings. This is the norm. However, this time it was different. As soon as the 'ding' sounded, a large man seated near the back in an aisle seat quickly rose to his feet and began to make his way forward. Other people began to stand and open the overhead bins. The large man began shoving his way past them. Soon he was confronted by another large man that did not want to let him pass. The confrontation escalated past yelling to near blows when it was broken up by several flight attendants. The large man stopped trying to pass other people, but continued to voice his displeasure loudly until exiting the plane.

Driving the streets of a town that I'm familiar with, allows me to not worry so much about if I missed the turn and focus on the scenery. So I'm stopped at a red light in traffic. I look around at the cars that surround me. One in particular catches my senses. That is, of course, because my window was filled with the smoke coming from theirs. Inside their car, the two people in the front seat were smoking their cigarettes like they were on death row; the windows down about two inches to allow them to place their butts outside. In the backseat, a single passenger (not smoking) sits while he is enveloped with cancerous second hand smoke.

I find it interesting to see people act the way they do; to see what they consider 'okay' and how they treat other people. I only hope that no one anywhere out there is blogging about me.

Ever feel like you know what you want, you know how to get there, but then when you’re there (or at least think you are) it isn’t what you wanted at all? For example, I saw a woman today leaving the grocery store. She was determined; taking long strides as she exited the sweeping doors and making her way into the parking lot. Her cart filled with recent purchases, she was destined for her car. She marched down the row of cars dodging other pedestrians and cars pulling from their stalls. I thought to myself, she is in a hurry or just wants to ‘make good time’. I think nothing more of it. I finish a phone call and myself proceed to cross the parking lot. Nearly two-thirds of the way down, I notice someone coming at me, with a cart. This caught my attention as it is not usual that someone is heading toward the store with a cart of groceries. As I look more closely, I see that it is the same woman I saw leaving the store just a few moments before. Only now she walks slowly, glancing back and forth; often lifting onto her tip toes to gain a better view. Obviously, she had misjudged where her car was parked and was now looking for it. I have to admit that I am guilty of this same action. But today it struck me differently.

Sometimes I am that woman and not in the sense that I am in drag marching around parking lots with groceries looking for a car. But that I usually plan things (you can ask my wife, haha) and have a pretty good idea of how to reach my ultimate goal. After taking the steps to achieve it and arriving where I think I want to be, I realize that this ending is not what I hoped for at all. It may be too metaphorical to get my idea across, but perhaps someone out there has done this same thing or felt this same way. I imagine a mouse in the maze looking and searching for his reward. And when he finally finds it, the cheese is no longer there and again he begins looking.

Freaky, weird, but I liked it.

So, I was listening to the radio this week. The local station does a ‘flash back’ hour of music from the 90s every afternoon. Note: It is sad that music I listened to in high school is now considered part of a flash back playlist; heavy sigh. During this particular jump backwards in time to when I had little responsibility and littler money, I heard a Marilyn Manson song, The Beautiful People. Brian Warner, as he is known without his makeup, is a bit confused and definitely messed up. But there was something about his music that I truly enjoyed. Now granted at during the same time, I was also liking the music of bands such as NIN, Rage Against the Machine, and Rammstein. This is proof that adolescence is a time of raging hormones and mood swings. I still like to hear the stuff from time to time, but can’t ever imagine it playing on an ‘oldies’ station when my kids are grown. lol