People watching gone wild

I sit in my seat in my local library and sneak a peek at the guy with the long sleeve Henley shirt, jeans, and running shoes with orange bottoms. I give him a long look. He’s head down, his face in a notebook. He’s got a backpack and jacket spread out on the table in front of him.

I take another look and consider the options.

Option One: He’s using his vacation day to brush up on his presentation to his local homeowner’s association rules. They restrict the exterior paint colors and landscaping. He has a dream of painting his house a dark Disney Buzz Lightyear blue and neon green. He wants to turn his house into Buzz’s rocket ship. He thinks it will add to the appeal of the house. You know “to infinity and beyond.” Umm, good luck with that Woody.

And then Option Two: He’s on the run. Earlier in the morning, his friend and him robbed a small bank branch in the far end of the county. When he was mapping out his plan, he considered various get-away ideas, but ultimately came up with a different idea. Of course, state and local police would have everyone out looking for two robbers. His friend would go see a movie and he would stop by the library. His idea was to waste time in places they would never expect to look and let the chase run its course.

Good thing I’m onto him!

A wild and crazy Friday night

And then there’s the lady typing old school, hunt and peck style, with her index fingers on her iPad. She’s wearing the sweatshirt her grandson bought her. It says “World’s Best Grandmother.”

She’s typing a text to her coffee klatch friend group. They get together once a month. They usually meet to talk about the book they’re reading. This Friday night they bought tickets as a group to see a touring All Male Revue – male dancers and performers.

“We get our very own Magic Mike. Can’t wait!!Remember to bring lots of one dollar bills,” she writes.

And the Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to . . .

I get up to look at a book on a shelf and a kid with shoes bigger than the size of a small boat walks up to the front desk. I think to myself that in a few years he’ll grow into his body and will score a lot of easy baskets for one of the local high school basketball teams. He asks the clerk where to find a book on Christopher Columbus. She tells him to use the library computer, but she knows that there are several on the shelf to the right.

The kid walks back to his table. He looks disappointed. He’s asking about Columbus, but he really wants to write his report on the AI and finding a cure for cancer. His teacher didn’t let him. She thought he was joking around, but he’s passionate about AI and technology.

Which way does the ball bounce?

Instead, he’s writing on how Christopher Columbus’s voyages introduced a number of diseases to the Americas. Diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza, which were common in Europe, were introduced to populations that had no prior exposure, leading to widespread epidemics and a dramatic decline in the native populations. 

In my mind, I see the kid going one of two directions: he could change medicine or he could get a scholarship to play college basketball. It’s like the clerk can see into the future too. After a few minutes, she approaches and hands him a large copy of Gray’s Anatomy, the standard reference manual for medical professionals and students. He’s so interested in the book that he forgets to even ask how she knew it would interest him. Here’s hoping he follows his passion.

So what do you think about my simple day in the life. How close am I to the truth? Have I swung and missed or am I right on the money? What’s your story?