People
Monday, April 13th, 2009
I flew into LA the other night and the lights went on forever. Spectacular. I’ve done this many times and since I’m a window seat guy I always have my nose pressed against the glass.
Now I know most of us have had this same experience before, (flying into NYC always has the same effect), but I just had to say it, to write about it.
Looking down on all those lights, I began to watch the cars moving on the freeways – all in perfect order, all trying to get home to their warm, cozy garages.
Then I started to think about all those drivers, the people, each with their own lives and stories, troubles and triumphs – each probably listening to the radio, perhaps singing along, perhaps not. Each one thinking completely different thoughts all at the same time.
And their energies began to all buzz and tumble and aggregate and then flow up to me sitting in that airplane seat. It was overwhelming – so much so that for some reason I burst into tears. All those people and all those thoughts… and all those separate lives.
The next day I went with my partner, Jim, to the outdoor farmer’s market in Santa Monica. He shops there every Saturday morning and whenever I’m out here (which is about once a month) I go with him to hold the bags while he shops.
This is a great job because he’s a very meticulous shopper long considering, feeling and squeezing each of those carrots or zucchinis or avocados, and while he’s doing his sorting and vegetable judging, I get to stand out there in the middle of the street and watch all the people.
