3 a.m. two days ago
Another odyssey in the dead of night. Actually, it was more of a worn-out walk until my feet ached because I wanted to save on bus fare. As I reached the top of my street, I sat down at a memorial for a man who was killed there a few years ago. (It is an inordinately tragic story that was made all the more public by the fact that it was a hate crime. He was stabbed in the back by a skinhead while he was changing his son's car tires. The only provocation was his Orthodox Jewish outfit.) Anyway, I sat there and tried to commune with his spirit. Of course, I cannot. I have no magical powers or extra senses. (I have more than five, but so does everyone.) Flowers were piled on cinderblocks; the moon was almost full; the occassional car drifted by. What were they doing? Where were they going at 3 a.m.? The only two answers my curiously altered thought processes could pull up were: i) they were flying to long-lost loves on no sleep and seven cups of coffee, ii) they were picking someone up from the airport. Then the sprinklers came on and the watery haze drifted over and I had to leave. I wanted to buy a falafel, but the falafel place had been closed since sundown for the Sabbath.
Consider: "as a solid rock cannot be shaken by the wind, so the spiritually mature person is unmoved by blame and praise."
Consider: "as a solid rock cannot be shaken by the wind, so the spiritually mature person is unmoved by blame and praise."
posted by A. D. at 12:44 AM
4 Comments:
More than five? Explain. (ESP?)
It's not at all uncommon for Orthodox Jews to be out and about in the dead of night. I live in a neighborhood almost exclusively inhabited by Hasidics and whatever the time, day or night, you can always meet one (or two or more) on the street. I have no idea why that is, though.
i lied, i am moving out june first after all - my place is all yours. be kind to it. and my built-in desk and shelves.
let me know if you want me to leave my book shelf, that big tall one with a place conveniently cut out for the light switch.
Responses in order:
i) No, it's nothing as cool as ESP. We've got a vestibular sense for balance that nobody ever thinks about, and also a couple of kinesthetic ones in addition to touch that tell us where our limbs are and whatnot. So, there's at least seven.
ii) That's interesting. That might explain all the strange goings-on on my street in the middle of the night...
iii) Excellent. A little sudden, but excellent nonetheless. Did you already call the landlord? And what's the dude's phone number, anyway?
Cheers, all!
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