so today was a monday. just like most other mondays, nothing special, unless of course you realize that each day is special and precious in it's own way. but that is not what i'm here to talk about. today was the monday that i was to make the one hour drive to get my windshield replaced. it had randomly cracked one wintery morning. i started my car to warm up before driving to church and left it run for about 15 minutes. when i came back i turned the wipers on and "pop"! the windshield just cracked! obviously i wasn't happy, but i put off getting it fixed. i found out my insurance wouldn't pay for it, so i started looking for the best deal. after a couple quotes in the $260 range i found one that quoated $190 and took it.
anyway, i'm headed south to the city and my mind is wandering somewhere when i notice a large dark animal walk to the ditch. a dog i thought at first, but as it stepped onto the road i saw it was a moose. a moose. THAT'S A MOOSE!!! it took me a few moments to actually see what was walking ahead of me across the road. it got across the road before i got very close to stare at it as that is what i would have done, but it was still exciting. it however made me wonder what kind of sites i have missed by only moments while driving or whatever. if i had been a little faster or slower, what i might have been able to see. thinking about it now, i wonder how many things we miss in life because we are moving to fast or slow to see those moments cross our paths.
i spent the next 50 min almost pushing the speed limit in an effort to get to the shop by my 11:00 appointment. but i made it, with about 3 minutes to spare. fortunately there was a sporting goods store across the street so i could entertain myself for the next hour. unfortunately i found nothing of use to me in the store. so i wandered the strip mall instead.
walking past the door to a verizon wireless store, a man a little smaller and older than me called me in. he had short blonde hair that was done up to look "spikey" but presentable, and a well trimmed beard. "what kind of music do you listen to?" he asked. thinking i was being set up for a phone offer i responded that i listened to most anything. he then informed me that by day he was . . . (unfortuneatly i forgot his name) but by night he was "pop a pill." serious, that's what he called himself. he was a rap and hip hop artist trying to make his way into the mainstream against a rather conservative and Christian lifestyle in montana. he offered me a cd and had an mp3 player for me to listen to the music. i will say that i am not a big fan of the rap or hip hop scene, not that i hate it, but it's just not for me. but i will also say that he was pretty good, the next big time white rapper if he would be in the right place and given the right oppurtunity. unfortuneatly for him, that kind of music is not allowed where i work, and i don't like the profanity that much if it, including his songs, contain. the one high point of his album was a song in which he brought up the point that people walk around like God is dead. it was interesting to listen to as it made many points of how people don't seem to care about each other as long as they themselves can get ahead. and how satan is taking snapshots of our minds when we are at our worst. though a through provoking song, it too contained profanity, and not wanting the profane lyrics, i declined his offer.
once i got my car back i continued on to other stores with the hope of finding a good pair of hiking boots and a specific kind of fishing rod and reel, and if at all possible a climbing harness. the next store, of course being another sporting goods store, had lots of offer, but only only reached to me on the rod and reel. not to expensive, but should be plenty effective for the large fish that will hopefully find their way into the frying pan or onto the grill.
further on i found the rocky mountain outfitter. now here was a treat. boats, clothes, tents, hiking gear, climbing gear. they had it all, but i was only looking for one thing. the climbing harness. a sales attendant asked if i was looking for something and after telling him he showed me some new harnesses that had just come in. a brand i had never heard of before, but, as i later found out, had been around since the late 1800's. trying on the harness i felt a little weird sliding my jeans through the leg loops looking like i was trying on a pair of underwear over my pants. fortuneatly no one else was in the store. but they had a rope i could hang from in the harness and i was impressed, extremely impressed by the comfort of this harness. and the quality was very nice as well. i tried on several others, all of which i knew their brand name, but nothing compared. i had found the harness.
further down the road i found another store, yes again, another sporting goods store. i wandered around for a while just passing the time, looking at paddles and arrows, seeing how much their very small assortment of climbing gear cost, seeing if i had found a good deal on the rod and reel earlier which i had, before ending at the shoe department. i tried on several boots and found a pair that fit well as was comfortable. however, knowing that this store was overpriced i found some excuse not to get them, with every intention of going online later, which i have not yet done, and seeing if could find them cheaper.
all in all it was a fun day. i got back and had many good conversations with friends from various parts of the country. mondays aren't so bad after all. actually no day is really bad, it just depends on what you do with what you are giving.
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