Potter and People-Watching

Well, I got a couple nights of sleep (I took all the unread fiction out of my house and went to my parents house to read, that way I'd leave it there when I went home). I've been packing my apartment, which is daunting, and I successfully rented a storage space to use while I'm at Conference.

I had a wonderful evening. My siblings and I went to Kent Station tonight to watch the new Harry Potter. It was great. Dark, but great. When we came outside it was so wonderful. I love Kent Station in the summer. There were so many people around. Kent Station is an open-air shopping center. It's like a mall but really just a collection of shops. Tonight there were many people wandering around, live jazz playing by the two-sided fireplace, people enjoying the sidewalk cafe dining and those just enjoying the evening. The sun was setting and it was just wonderful.

There was a man who walked his 2 puppies down to the little grassy area in the middle. It was lovely. The puppies were so tiny! They were just two little round, white furballs. The man just sat on the grass smiling as all the children in the vicinity were drawn to his little puppies. Kids not much older than 3 or 4 were picking them up and trotting around with them. One very blonde-haired boy, around 3 years old, just followed the puppy around. They were quite a pair. I kept cooing at them, but I couldn't help it. Off would trot the little white fluffy puppy and marching along behind him was the almost white-haired little 3-year-old, as if they were playing a game of follow-the-leader. I wanted to take a picture of them but I was enjoying the scene too much.

I very much enjoyed my people-watching tonight. It was a beautiful night. I noticed that every little kid who walked by would purposely jump in the square section of gravel that were around where the trees were planted. I found that interesting. One little girl was so focused on it that she worked away until her little pants sagged down past the diaper. I found it comical, considering most of the teenagers I see with the same style don't exactly elicit the same kind of grinning response on my part.
People-watching is great fun and I was happy to just sit there and watch. As I watched I really began to think about why I enjoy situtations like the one I was in. I realized that one of the major reasons I was so happy sitting there in the middle of the crowds was that it was a taste of community. I got the same feeling when I was in Milton (small town), when I am at Conference, and when I think about the kind of place I want to raise a family. Oddly enough, I felt that feeling in the middle of Kent Station where the young, old, and in-betweens (either dressed to the nines or sporting the skinny jean/black sweatshirt combo) all were in harmony, smiling at each other, some talking to each other, and collectively enjoying the evening.


Reflection: I think we all need a little more of that joy of community.

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