Sprung

Monday in Seattle spring was in full effect. Sunshine, blossoms, cotton candy clouds and pollen.  My allergies were kicking my trash I could barely muster the breath to walk down the hall (weezy weezerson over here), let alone run. So I decided to at least get out and walk around top of the hill. 

The sun was shining.  I sat down on a bench to soak up the sun and a homeless gentleman wandered by. I looked up, we made eye-contact and exchanged smiles. With a few day’s stubble, his eyes were crystal clear blue and his smile was kind, sympathetic and genuine.  It tugged on my heart-strings just a little. 

He sat down at the end of the bench. The wind was blowing in just such a direction that I could infer that he hadn’t showered in quite some time.  Listening to my music, I could see out of the corner of my eye he began talking and gesticulating, grand gestures and booming statements.  I could feel the reverberation in the old planks of the wooden bench. I couldn’t hear what he was saying over the music I was listening to but it sure seemed important. 

Unable to curb my curiosity, I turned the music off but kept tapping my foot to give the appearance of not eavesdropping and to mitigate potential actual conversation.

At first I couldn’t really understand what he was saying.  Then I heard a lot of vulgar and graphic swearing around the sentence, “Yeah, I murdered her but you’re gonna have to murder me” blahblahblah, and something about Bellevue police. It was officially crazy-town and I got real nervous. 

Luckily there were lot of people around.  But he kept talking.  More swearing, which usually doesn’t bother me, but there was something underlying violent and vengeful about his language that made me think I probably shouldn’t hang out here too much longer.  Trust your guts folks.

 I stayed around a few more minutes before exiting the premises as quietly as I entered them.

 So here’s the take away:  What started as an exchange of smiles, connecting one human to another, quickly deteriorated to crazy.  My moral of the story,  we all gotta little crazy in us, just masked by a smile a little bit better than others.

Also, it further proves I attract the crazies and need to change that karma. And pollen will be the death of me.      

Happy Spring!