Random Roadside Seeds

By that I mean, my thoughts on the way to work today were seeded by stuff I saw on the side of the road. It was definitely a free association day - every five minutes I would see something new, interrupt whatever train of thought was in progress at the time, and take off in a completely non sequitur direction.

It's been like that all week. I've been paying more attention to the outside world while I drive lately, instead of just musing on whatever is on my mind. Maybe it means there isn't anything on my mind at the moment.

Things I thought about, all seeded from seeing a young Hispanic boy on a bike who was riding along in the grass at the side of the road, with a full plastic bag on the handlebars (probably groceries).

a) It was a narrow road with no shoulder. The fact that Savannah isn't terribly bike friendly, nor pedestrian friendly for that matter. There are places with sidewalks, but those end in strange places. Yet people do manage anyhow. I have one coworker who rides her bike to and from work every day, covering 35 miles. Obviously she's a lot more physically fit than I'll ever be.

b) Being in a safely boxed metal frame rather than right out there with nothing between me and the pavement, like I would be on a bike. Or motorcycle. I got to ride on the back of a motorcycle once, and that was what struck me - how close and immediate the environment around me was. It's part of the attraction of riding on a motorcycle for a lot of people. For me, however, I would definitely need a face shield, because I can't take the wind blowing right at my face at 60 mph. Gas might be cheaper though.

c) Tip jar thieves and honesty. Hispanics have always been honest while in the Chinese takeout where I work on weekends. 100% of all tip jar thieves I've ever seen were young black women. By contrast, young black men are almost always honest, and sometimes they even tip.

d) The fact that I've been planning to write a blog post about thieves at the takeout for my takeout blog. I haven't gotten around to it yet, and it's been nagging at me for weeks.