I was deeply troubled by a puzzle I could not solve today. What does an atheist do? Praying is not an option. It would be unfair to unload my problems on a friend (except for Rich). My boss was busy, my employees and colleagues were part of the puzzle and therefore not able to help. I needed to clear my head and think.
I left at lunch and drove to a Calas Park. I plugged my iPod into my truck’s stereo and pumped up the speakers. I sat on bench near my truck in the misty rain and just listed to the music. Sublime’s Don’t Push came up after a few Marley tunes on a ska punk & reggea playlist I love. I closed my eyes for 4:20 and just listened to the beat.
The oddness – I open my eyes to see a odd looking black man dancing in front of me. He was old and didn't really dance so much as moved in place with a lot of energy. He was far enough away from me to feel safe and had obviously had not wanted to scare me. I smiled his way. He said, “I love Sublime, Are you ok?”
I told him I had a lot on my mind and that I was using this break in my day to clear my thoughts. Mentally, I prepared for a religious conversation. He said he was worried about me because in all of the years I’ve been coming to the park, I’ve never once acted like this. He was worried and had walked over to check on me. He wanted nothing more than to see if I was ok. We talked for a few minutes. He said he’s seen me in the park during around noon on and off for the last 10 years. He remembered that I used to drive a van.
How odd is that? He walked over from his house in the rian to check on me when we had never met. That’s the kind of love I can get behind. There was nothing attached to it, although he suggested that I drop the ska from my reggae mix. He’s a bit of a purist when it comes to reggae.
I never did solve the puzzle.
