city life: people on the street

This afternoon: I'm walking home to my new apartment and I find I have a special spring in my step. The sun's shining, I just completed #12 on my to-do list for the day, and I'm feeling good.

And suddenly I look around and realize I'm walking next to the capitol building in the middle of the city, bustling with pedestrians on bikes and on foot, and I'm feeling REALLY good. I start thinking to myself: 'I LOVE street people! I love being a person on the street! All this co-mingling of the masses, the nods and smiles we all share as we walk by, the way we all share this city and the space so well...' And just as I reach the height of this good-feelingness toward "the people on the street" I turn a corner and a tough-looking woman blows a mouthful of cigarette smoke in my face. And suddenly I'm coughing and wheezing, and walking away QUITE fast just in case she thinks I'm being melodramatic and decides to pound on my smart aleck behind...

:D

But cigarette smoke aside, the city is beautiful. I'm able to walk nearly everywhere I need to go, and despite the city feel of the area, I'm finding the people here are generally kind, solid Midwesterners who look out for each other.

And dude, my apartment is a stone's throw from the capitol. No kidding; I can see the top from one of my windows.