sunshine

People are silly. Really, just watch the things they do. I've started doing this. When I get pissed, I go somewhere very public, which'll stop me from bitching, brooding, or calling someone to yell at them. After being in this public place I start to look at people. At first I'm just like "are you fucking kidding me?" then its like "wow, they're really not kidding", even if its the dumbest thing in the world. Today it was a lady making a scene at Taco Bell because her nachos weren't "supreme" enough. So I sat there in my booth, face in hands, smiling to myself.

One of the main reasons I settle for shit mexican food at this fine establishment is for a few minutes I get to converse with a sweet kid that works there. She's around my age, but I could be completely off. The first thing that strikes you about this girl is how happy she is. I mean genuinely, absurdly happy. Her smile takes up her entire face, and her eyes shine just as bright. It's only until you talk to her that you notice, she has a mental handicap. Now I'm not an expert on intellectual disabilities, so I can't say if her handicap was from birth or from an acute condition, but its easy to see that what she lacks in social awareness and speech capabilities she makes up for in vibrancy. Everyone knows her by name and adores her, truly a courageous kid.

So as I was sitting in my booth today, observing the supreme nacho conflict, my new friend walked over to me and inquired about my ipod. I smiled and offered her the ear buds, and as she slipped them in her ears I browsed for "Sunshine" by Matt Costa and pressed play. I studied her face as she listened curiously, her smile growing brighter by the second. She's never going to have goals like we do. She doesn't want to be some big time writer. Couldn't care less about being accepted. Yet, she's happy, because she lives in the right now, the present, and in her simple capabilites she's only aware of one feeling we all take for granted, Love. Love for people, love for music, love for just being alive and getting another chance to live your path. While some of us with far greater potential make a stink of our existence, from dwelling on the past and future and disregarding what's really important, this girl already lives her life to the fullest and her happiness is proof of it. Hats off to you kid, you're sick pimpness.

It's amazing the things you can learn from just observing people.