the best kind of soap

most of the time we shuffle and squirm through life altogether ignorant (willingly and happily so) of anything that's not happening right in front of our faces. even more outside our realm of giving-a-shit are the things that don't fuel our evermore pressing compulsion to achieve, succeed, acquire. we're busy rushing about viewing the outside world and all of it's constituent parts largely as obstacles standing between where we are and where we need to be. in this way, we seldom recognize that there are millions of people around us all busy in their little circles as they push past you to put checkmarks on their own to-do lists. paul haggis expressed through one of the characters he created in his screenplay for the movie crash, "we're always behind this metal and glass. (we) brush past people, people bump into you...nobody touches you. when you're moving at the speed of life, we're bound to collide with each other."

though the collisions that haggis portrays in his work are dramatic, desperate, and violent, they can also be as innocuous as being privy to a momentary glimpse into someone else's life by accident. it's those accidental moments that tend to pull me from my destination-driven habitudes and allow me to revel in the fact that we're all putting one foot in front of the other the same way and that our commonalities far outweigh our differences.

two of those accidental instances of what we'll call "circumstantial voyeurism" came for me recently while walking our dog in a local dog park. as i've indicated in previous posts, i try to make it a practice to keep at least one eye cast groundward everywhere i go and, on this day, it paid off. crumpled under a bench was quite possibly the best note i've ever intercepted:

for so many reasons this little view into someone else's life made me smile. i love visualizing the "liar" spending the day blowing off whatever they were supposed to be doing to be at a park enjoying the sunshine. it's also hard not to enjoy thinking about the bratty sibling going to the trouble to find out that the dentist was closed just to hammer the "liar."...and who among us can't identify with the sentiment (and flawless delivery) of the last line? it's perfect! the note is perfect, the serendipitous finding of it was perfect, and the respite it gave me from my own troubles was especially perfect.



the second opportunity to engage in my "circumstantial voyeurism" came several days later in the same dog park. amidst our frolic in the park, i saw a folded paper winking at me from the mulch at the base of some adolescent oak saplings. although not nearly as entertaining as the note about the "liar," this one offered it's own inspiration:

most of the grocery/to-do list is unremarkable but the real gem of inspiration comes right there at the end when the note's author lists a cleaning ritual that i'm sure freud would have quite a lot to say about. who among us wouldn't love to wash our guilt from time to time? where can i get THAT kind of soap? (i'm sure there's a joke about hanging from a clothesline to be made here too but i digress)

these episodes present themselves all the time if you're paying attention and the only limit to what you get out of them is your own imagination and willingness to submit to them. if you can't find these opportunities on your own, at least take advantage of glimpses collected by others at places like the Post Secret blog or Found magazine! i'm no preacher and i'm certainly no fount of...well...anything...but i do encourage embracing that "circumstantial voyeurism" when you get the chance. sometimes it's refreshing to step outside what you're doing, welcome that little collision of lives, and walk in someone else's freudian slippers.

~thorns

"found" wisdom

when we need it most, wisdom, like a gift from the sooth-fairy (i just made that up. feel free to use it if you want), sometimes falls into our laps. when i was going through one of the most tumultuous times in my life and indecision was toppling my structures of security (and sanity!), my message found me. i went to work on a day when i thought i'd almost reached my breaking point and opened the paper during a lull to find the sooth-fairy's offering right in front of me.

it's so funny to think that we will open the paper and read our horoscope (or "horriblescope," as my grandmother says) every day and discount is as drivel 99% of the time but that ONE time when it fits perfectly, we swear it was put there just for us. this time was no different. i was in such dire need of a sign, the sooth-fairy delivered this one just to let me know she was out there listening...and so was i.

i did make the leap of faith as my mistress of astrological guidance advocated and, though it was frightening, i did move ahead. i was pushing my own boundaries and pushing myself to new and better places. i knew i'd done the right thing but was still needing reassurance. again, my fairy answered. what could be better than a chat with a friend over some good chinese food? good chinese food with an undeniable cosmic sign that "You are heading in the right direction!"

in addition to good sound advice, we all occasionally need a little ego-massage and sometimes it comes in small packages :-) i was lucky enough to find two pieces of wisdom on this particular day. aside from my self-esteem boost, i got some dieting advice as well (check the last line of that piggy passage).

the next time you look down and find the torn corner of a magazine underfoot and it bears what appears to be the encouragement or direction you were desperately seeking, don't discount it as a fluke...She may have put it there just for you. i call it "found wisdom" and it's everywhere. there's also found art, found poetry, found music, and who knows what else. whenever you need it, it's there. all you have to do is be on the lookout.

~thorns