Monday Musings

Here's an earth shaking fact: people are weird.  We went to our monthly "antique fair" yesterday and I was wearing, proudly, my Bernie Sanders t-shirt.  I'm walking along, minding my own business, deep into the visuals of table after table piled with stuff, and I hear "socialist" uttered in a snarky voice, seemingly from nowhere.  It took me a minute to process.  Then I turned around and watched a guy walking away from me.  He looked normal enough.  I suppose he meant it to be a put-down, but to me it only bespoke his ignorance.  I laughed to myself and went about my business.

Later, I see this cute kid, about 10 years old, wandering with a large sweet treat in his hand.  He was having a bit of trouble eating and walking at the same time.  He was adorable, which translates to me as "photographable."  I hustled a few steps in front of him, turned around and SNAP!  When I took the camera away from my eye, I saw a terrified mom face sheilding the boy with her arms.  "Please! Please! Don't take pictures of my son!"  Really?  "But he's adorable."  "No.  Just. No."  What do I look like?  A scout for pedophiles or human traffickers? Being a mother myself, I dutifully deleted the image I took.  But I would have liked to have said, "Lady, don't take your kid out in public.  People will LOOK at him."

My husband, a friend of ours, and I have been taking photos at this fair for over a year.  We put together a book of our best and we hawk it now at the fair.

We chat with vendors and buyers, fortify ourselves with breakfast burritos and coffee under the freeway overpass, and sometimes get rained on.  We've made friends.  Mickey is there with his gorgeous stained glass.

Mickey is a talent.  He also is a great musician, hosting Friday night jam sessions with  his band, and all and sundry are welcomed to sit in, grab  a percussion instrument and join the fun.  He always has a great spread of food and drink.  In the warm weather, he rolls open the garage door and invites the neighborhood in.  Now that is hospitality, and human kindness.  No weird stuff.  No hidden agenda.  No judgement.  Just an open heart and a desire to connect with the human family.

Mickey and Marilyn