And I Can't, Can't Get That The Future Might Depend A Bit On These Mistakes I Keep Making Over
Walking to work yesterday morning I slipped and fell on the ice again, not 20 feet away from where I fell on Friday. My favorite part of the whole experience was watching a station wagon drive past me without stopping to check and see if I was hurt. I can only imagine that it must have looked pretty funny to the driver. I felt angry that they didn't stop to see if I was hurt, but for all I know they could have been dealing with something far worse, so I won't judge too harshly. We all have our own burdens, and it is a rare person indeed who would stop to help a stranger. I realized, as I lay twitching on the sidewalk, that human kindness should never be taken for granted. It is the simplest, most beautiful, and sadly, the most rare gift we can give each other. I felt blessed, actually, to relearn that lesson.
I didn't feel so fucking blessed when I fell again walking home from work that afternoon. Yeah, twice in one fucking day. Three fucking times in four fucking days, and I should point out that I didn't even leave the house on Saturday. So, I'm averaging one fall per day. If I was your fucking grandma, I would be fucking dead by now. How fucking hard is it to put some fucking salt on the fucking sidewalk? Understand, people, that we are a fucking family, all right, and that we have to fucking look out for each other. If you own a fucking building with a fucking public sidewalk, and it fucking freezes, throw some fucking salt on the fucking ice, you lazy fucking bastards! Society depends on people living up to their fucking responsibilities to other members of society. This breakdown of order is un-fucking-acceptable, largely because it directly affects me, but also because it speaks to a growing inability or unwillingness on the part of certain fucking individuals to accept that with power and possessions come duties and obligations.
Anyway, I guess I'm just saying be careful out there, and try to look out for each other. Oh, and I fucking hate ice.
Labels: f-bomb, ice, responsibility, salt
4 Comments:
Last Monday when I was off from work, I went with my brother-in-law and my niece to this park near Hefner Pkwy to go sledding. I wasn't really dressed for it and was freezing, so I wanted to go wait in the car. I tried to walk down this little hill, but it was too icy and ended up slipping down. The best part is that there was a chain rope fence (I don't know what it's called, you know what I mean) and I grabbed onto the chain and slid underneath it, landing at the front wheel of this minivan. It was pretty impressive, really. Two women were sitting in the van and they didn't bother to roll down the window and ask if I was okay. But, maybe they could tell that I was fine, since I was lying there laughing like a maniac. Or, perhaps, that made them afraid.
Don't break a hip, Grandpa.
It's not so rare. Kindness is like coincidences: you see and notice way more if you're keeping your eye out and paying attention.
You're right, human kindness should never be taken for granted, not ever. When we do, we miss it, we miss counting it and getting nourished by it, and then that most remarkable gift is wasted.
But just because you sometimes miss it doesn't mean it isn't there or wasn't there. It is not rare.
I have nothing intelligent to say.
You have made a good point and I wish all of America could hear you say it.
Hey, funny thought, Seth Joseph for President.
Think about that.
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