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The
Big Easy
“Were you shy when you were little?” I looked
up from the old school design underway on the back of a ruby and
gold motorcycle sidecar and wondered how she could tell.
The regular din of a motorcycle event echoed off
the skyscraper walls of urban
New Orleans
and combined with the horns of seagoing vessels on nearby
Canal Street
and the busy railroads that paralleled the river. This is a noisy
town. When the blasting of the brassy music of the party
atmosphere finally subsided in the wee hours of the night, an army
of trash, septic and street cleaner trucks competed with the
sirens of ambulance and police cars that wanted everyone
attempting to sleep to know that they were up and at 'em.
I didn’t find much that was romantic or
hospitable about this tragedy riddled town. The merchants and the
staff persons I met had a resigned attitude that resembled
meanness, perhaps the result of enduring hardship and having to
stand in line for relief. At the renowned breakfast place called
“Mothers,” guests are herded into lines and are largely
disregarded by the staff. Cattle
Mecca
’s such as
Dallas
,
Denver
and
Kansas City
could learn a lot about wrangling large droves through a feed lot
from this place. Being sensitive to the treatment I receive from
others makes me selective. I prefer to do business with, and hang
in the company of people who are deliberately nice.
“I think that those of us who have overcome and
grown into functioning adults are actually better off” my new
friend reflected her view on personality evolution.
Kathy and her husband are from
Kansas
and here on business. As our exchange continued I became familiar
with an individual with a loving awareness of her surroundings and
a deep inner desire to be a blessing to others. I overheard her as
she told curious bikers about how riding in the sidecar is a big
improvement over riding on the back of the bike, looking at the
back of her husband’s helmet. The sidecar allows a 360 degree
vista and the ability to change leg positions which is important
since she recently had knee surgery. My new friend went on the
share how she appreciates what she sees, recognizing a personal
responsibility to find the beauty that is all around her. I
savored these sentiments for quite some time and reflected on how
the thought she had prompted; how a scared little boy has
transformed into a “joy boy” on a similar quest.
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