September 29, 2007 Observations

While walking home from the dry cleaners today, loaded down with a ton of clean laundry, I walked past an obese woman with a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. This is unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence, but what was remarkable about this woman was the t-shirt she was wearing. Written on it was Health Walk to find a cure for Diabetes (or something to that effect). I found it kind of ironic that she could wear such a shirt given her current state and appearance.

I also observed several kids stop next to my neighbor’s house to admire freshly poured concrete. My neighbor just had his sidewalk redone and the wet cement seemed to draw the kids in like a very powerful magnet lifting a load of metal. You could see the desire to write their names in the cement in their eyes. Who actually doesn’t think about writing their name in freshly poured cement? I suppose the desire comes from knowing that the mark you leave behind has some permanence. It is not every day that cement is poured and when it is, it will most likely be there long after we are gone.

Perhaps the most important and happiest observation I made today came when I watched my son play goalie during his soccer game. The kid has so much heart. He is always smiling when he plays any sport. The most poignant moment for me came when the ball was hit towards the goal and my son dove for it, grabbed it and rolled over. As I was watching this play unfold I was saying in my mind “dive for it”. That is just what he did. It is exactly what I would have done. I was struck at how I was watching a mirror of myself out on that field. This moment in time resonated inside me and I suddenly felt all choked up. It made me think about how much our personalities are due to genetics as opposed to the environment in which we are raised.