Yesterday I was sitting at one of the handful of traffic lights in the small city I pass through on my way home from work. It’s one of the few places in the town that has a right turn lane that is legal, most people choose to come up through the parking spaces on the street for a makeshift right turn lane. They must be in a hurry.
I noticed a PT Cruiser pulled up next to me. It was a black model and was in very good condition. It had the paint job where it looks like there’s bullet holes sprayed through the door panels. In the driver’s seat was a woman; I guess her to be about 70 years old. Her bleached hair was done up in a scarf. The scarf was leopard print. I could just make out the top of the blouse she was wearing; this was matching leopard print. Her glasses were of the cat eye variety and her lips were red. Well beyond the cougar years, at least the way I understand what that phrase means, I would say she was sort of a wildly dressed thin elephant. She was quite tan.
My first thought, which was a fleeting flash of thought, was “wow, what the heck is this old bat doing?” But after a few brief moments and a second glance at her appearance, I thought, “wow, you go girl.” Many would say that her biological age suggests that she is past her prime. I think she is just extending it.
I like people that have the balls to express themselves, even if they are wildly dressed older women.
I occasionally wonder what I would be like today if I hadn’t been so hesitant and worried about what people thought of me. Would I be more apt to sing in public? Would I vocalize what I think are funny thoughts if I didn’t worry about whether they would generate a laugh? It’s been a while since I’ve truly given a damn as to what people thought of me; I might get a little worked up in the moment if someone is being particularly hateful, but I now know that anything that is said or done is fleeting and will be forgotten faster than you can say “squirrel!”.
Not to go on and on about politics, but I bet we wouldn’t have such a mess in government today if people were doing what they promised they would do when they were campaigning to be elected instead of doing what they think they should do to make people think better about them and get elected again. I think the folks in government should live life like many Americans choose to live it: live it for the moment, make that decision as if there were no consequences and do what you think is right, even if it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to make someone happy.
Expressing yourself. It’s a beautiful thing. I remarked to Earl that I miss writing in this blog like I did years ago. I bought an ergonomically correct keyboard tonight so that I will be more motivated to write when I’m at home instead of saving my writing time for that moment when I’m parked in a parking lot somewhere during my lunch hour, thinking how much I would love that chocolate chunk cookie but sipping on unsweetened iced tea instead. I like expressing myself through my words as much as I like expressing myself through my actions.
Describe a picture, even if it’s hanging on a completely different wall. And then don’t worry about what the others say or think. You’ll be glad you did.
