People who love People

This is about yesterday.  Because I was wiped out for no good reason, I didn't really do anything like I usually do that involved interfacing with the world.  Now... I just love this neighborhood.  Its like the entire spectrum of humanity and urban life all wrapped up in one neat little package.  There are "projects" I walk thru to get to the gym or the post office.  There is a river I walk along to get to "oldtowne". There are million dollar homes along the way and interspersed among the projects and the office buildings , the shopping districts, the hotels. Yet, it is quiet, safe, and I wonder why?  Why do I feel so safe and sound here, where as in most urban areas my nerves are absolutely shot?

It seems like this is the most dog loving place on the planet. My next door neighbor's personalized licence plate is dgfrend. There are dog training schools, a dog park, and I learned people meet and greet on the street based on the bonding their dogs share. So for some strange reason I would also like to have a dog. I never liked dogs except as a child. My fondest memory is of a Irish setter I rescued. I would sneak dog food to it and pretend that I had saved its life. I don't remember what happened to it. But it was a magical week I spent out in nature (next door was an empty field), and my beautiful friend would be there waiting.

Back to the topic. I had a visitor yesterday late afternoon.  I thought it was Dgfrend aka john or caroline. Dgfrend had been away over easter weekend and left their dog alone in the house, and I had 2 fitful nights of sleep due to its howling.  I cornered the dog sitter to ask questions about said dog, and learned that the owners would be back Monday and she would tell them about the howling. So naturally I thought they would want to apologize for their dog who kept me awake at night. (did I say that they loved dogs????)

The visitor was a solicitor of magazine subscriptions. He said he loved people, and I was to then fork over money to him based on his appeal and level of lovableness.  It was hopelessly funny and sad all at once. But he was very lovable and I dropped 40$ for his cause, to earn enought money to open a barber shop.  He was around 20 years old, with tatoos up and down his forearms and his neck. He was from NC and his name (I asked) was Dontonee. We talked and talked and talked about the sky, the water, the food, and the evils of money. He said he could talk to me all day, which I certainly loved since I am quite alone this week.

Now , the reason this is significant is because I was longing all day to interface with my neighbors who are living in the projects. I find them not scary but warm and joyful. I want to know them. The million dollar home owners are never around, or else very curt, and busy and proper.  They work their asses off to keep their million dollar narrow town homes with no back or front yards. So here was this gift given to me and we basically couldn't stop sharing our stories with each other. It was incredibly nice, since my whole life now is about breaking out of old worn out ways of being, such as "don't talk to anyone of a lower socio- economic scale" especially black  and young and male. Well, here in my world if I paid attention to my old conditioning I would be the loneliest person on the planet. No one I mean no one is friendly these days especially neighbors to each other. why should they be?  They have there tv's and their computers to keep them in place. Even Dgfrend doesn't really talk to us, only others dogs (ha Ha). maybe if I had a dog I would make people friends with my people neighbors. But that is secondary to them as people are a dime a dozen.  Are we really all alike?  Predictable and dull and all run on the same type of engine oil?  Food for thought. Food for thought.

Reach out touch a neighbor not a neighbors dog. We have a lot to love about each other, a lot to think about ....... if only...