note #179

as i was walking home today from my bus i noticed two men wandering along one of the new bus stops on broadway. they encountered the temporary barrier and walked around it, then down the bus stop as i passed them along the sidewalk and went across the street. i kept an eye on them while i waited for the light to change so i could continue on my way.

they came to the end of the bus stop and could not decide where to go at first. i decided to go back and see if they needed help. as i crossed back over the street and headed towards them they left the stop and headed back towards the sidewalk, but instead veered aside, traveling up the bike lane, lost. i sprinted to catch them before they encountered a vehicle and tapped the taller man on his arm politely. he took my hand and then told his friend to talk to me.

i asked if they needed help to find where they were going and he told me that they were attempting to find 8oz burger bar. i told him that i could take them there and led them to the sidewalk then down to the intersection where we crossed union and broadway. along the way the man asked me what was going on that had caused them such confusion. i confirmed that there was construction going on and that they had ended up at a bus stop across the bike lanes from the sidewalk. it's all kind of confusing, i told him, and that we are all getting used to the new changes. he told me that they were going to 8oz for the first time and i told him that the food there is delicious which he was glad to hear.

we arrived at the restaurant doors and they thanked me as we parted ways, strangers still, but two nice men in my memories, a polite touch and kind voice in theirs.

in this season of thankfulness, warm fuzzies, and gift giving i urge everyone to remember to be kind, notice when others need help, and to take the small amount of time out of your life to be there for someone who needs it. we make the world a better place by our actions, no matter how small. even a smile can make someone's day all the brighter and change it for the better.

this is a truth.

note #178

as I started my walk to the bus this morning, a flickering in the east caught my eye. as I watched, the blue-white flicker approached, hazy and softened through the light cloud cover, but burning bright at its heart. in a matte of moments it had streaked directly above my head and passed along to the west on its journey - down through the atmosphere and into the ocean or skipping past and spinning back away into the solar system, I do not know. perhaps it burned so brightly that it expired before touching down, it's heart gone cold.

note #177

we didn't realize things had gone wrong until she stopped singing...

note #176

the heat rose slowly from the pavement, waves shimmering and distorting the world. alex shaded his eyes and watched the distance. dark clouds danced with lightening on the horizon. the smell of rain had not yet reached him, but he knew that it was coming along with a scouring wind that would blow hot, then cool. he licked his lips in anticipation. the rain would be welcome after a long, hot summer where everything had withered into sickly shades of brown and yellow - not even the trees had green leafs remaining.

thunder rumbled faintly in the distance and more lightening lit up the horizon as the clouds boiled slowly closer. alex felt a subtle shift in the air around him as if everything was reaching towards the coming darkness now instead of standing in place. he watched as people seemed to suddenly spring into action around town. they rushed to the grocery for water and batteries, to the farm supply to refuel propane tanks and get kerosene for lamps. the gas station saw a sudden surge in cars.

the clouds edged closer more quickly and the ominous wind racing before the storm blew in. people scattered in its wake like the leaves blown from the trees. the thunder crashed closer and the streets cleared as stores were locked up and the few townsfolk still about headed quickly for home. the wind picked up and the air became heavy with the promise of rain, then electric with static from the oncoming storm.

alex raced home as the first heavy drops descended. the fell hard, stinging his skin even through his shirt. he was drenched long before he reached home. shaking, alex dropped his bike in the yard and ran into the house, slamming the door on the storm as it enveloped the world in black split only by the blue-white lightening forged in the turmoil it unleashed upon the town.

note #175

i do things, then i sleep, then i do things again. sometimes i get to do other things. sometimes those things are doll things. sometimes they are not. things.

note #174

it can never work, he said as he sifted through the papers. we don't have the means to keep this up.

it will work, she assured him, all it takes is rearranging how things are and making sure that we don't slip up.

note #173

he wandered aimlessly, lost in the thoroughfare between sanity and the crushing desolation of madness.