iced tea and blue raspberry ring pop

So I’m sitting here on the porch of my parents house, a sunshine yellow little thing encased by a white picket fence a mere block from the beach. This town is such a cliché it could be the set of a movie about a little California beach town: everyone frequents Main Street, which only features the classic “mom and pop” shops and diners; people live on their bikes and surfboards, some of these houses have been here since the 30’s, the local newspaper has a “surfer of the week” and the Crime Log tells more stories of lost sea lions and injured seagulls than actual crimes, and gossip and stories can spread like wildfire.

As I sit here on the sunny porch of my sunny house I watch the small town pass before my eyes. People come in and out of my life on the porch, neighbors to say hello and ask how I’m feeling (much better after my horrible illness of the past week or so…pardon my French but tonsillitis is a bitch), passersby to say good evening and remark that they’ve met my parents or they love our flowers, my sister to lament the fact that all we do is watch sports (her complaint, not mine), and of course the occasional cat who knows this town better than anyone and if only he could talk, would assert his rule over all mankind. (its a very social place, a small town where everyone talks to one another)

In a span of a couple hours so much has happened in front of me or near me (p.s. whoever is grilling, I’m a great guest if you’d like to share). It just makes me think of all that happens around us in say, a year, or even a lifetime. In this metaphor that is slowly taking life in my brain, people pass in and out of our lives. Sometimes the ones you wish would stop and say hi never glance over and others (like the sketchy old man with his dog) take forever to finally walk by and make you feel really uncomfortable the whole time. Sometimes acquaintanceships never advance into friendships and sometimes you’re stuck with people for way longer than you would hope at a job or school. We try to fight this natural thing by keeping people around longer than naturally happens or forcing people out before time has run its course (and sometimes that's the way the lifespan of the relationship is determined) but I guess its important sometimes to just step back and recognize that this is part of the system.