@ sperry
2023-09-23 05:05:30
Yesterday morning I had to get up early and take a vehicle to the mechanic in the city. They opened at 7:30, and at 7:35 when i walked in the door, there were already 4-5 customers. Plenty of counter help was available and was greeted kindly, gave some information and was on my way again.
Rather than sitting in the waiting room, watching the news programs and morning shows with other patrons, I stepped outside into the chilly morning. It's the end of May, there's still snow on the ground and my home, so being in the city where the grass is green and flowers are in bloom is a site for sore eyes. I'm in what would be considered an "older" part of town and has history from about 100 years ago. There's a pretty large graveyard a block or two away. It's been sunny, but a portion of the sky is covered by a cloud and it's starting to rain. There's just something about walking thru a graveyard in the rain that adds another element.
The funeral business is booming.
Boxed up bodies, laying in rows, 4 or 5 words in summary, reserve your space today...
I keep walking. The rain subsides. The sun almost blinding, which helps decide the direction I wander. Cross a busy 8 lane road. People in boxes, listening to news, applying make-up, reading a book.
Once across the large road, I take the canal trail that borders a park. It's quiet. No children, no mom's.... But there is the homeless, which seems to have tripled, or more, over the last few years.
The park borders the city public train line, it's a bit surprising it isn't loaded with tents. This single tent almost seems perfect at this time of the morning, but by noon will most likely have the police here.
Another block and I'm in "Historic Sandy". What was once a bustling city hub, is now a quiet street with 3 barber shops, a museum, a quilt shop and an art space. There used to be a mercantile, a police station, a brewery, which had to cease due to prohibition. Hans Bjork and Ole Nelson ran "Swede's Saloon" and billiards parlor from the 1880's, until 1917, when it was shut down by the prohibition of alcohol. In 1930, it was taken over by a Norwegian meat cutter and remained a grocery store until the late 1950's.
Someone laid this sidewalk, with pride, in the name of progress. Once loved, cutting edge, businesses now with shuttered doors.
Before the police were carved into a militia, US towns had these police stations, not precincts...
Once-loved homes now look like the cover of a horror novel...
Thoughtfully, and built with a purpose, irrigation that used to feed gardens, flows abundantly. Proof of work from a forgotten time, not long ago. This is ancient Rome.
The museum, filled with relics.
Even the classic motorcycle shop from the 1970's is starting to suffer the effects of time, as the trees and bushes close in.
It won't be long, now...
Another block away and you can feel the vibes of a not-so-distant future, where times change, once again. I certainly feels like we are approaching another shift, locally and globally.
"The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust." --Satoshi Nakamoto
What should have been a boring morning at the mechanic, turned into a wonderful walk, filled with thought and reflection.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
― Ferris Bueller