And so it goes

Doing a quick visit/tour of NOLA (New Orleans, LA), Covington, Denham Springs, and Baton Rouge.  These are all great towns, big and small in the southern part of Louisiana. New Orleans and Baton Rouge account for the majority of our population center, with New Orleans claiming the capital of fun and Baton Rouge claiming the state capital.  

I have done alot of time in both places, not a prison sentence, well almost.  Following Hurricane Katrina the church that I served made a one year, which became an 18 month, commitment to send a team each month to help rebuild.  Some of the most rewarding, and devastating work that I have done.  And  our jobs changed as the time passed.  We began by mucking out homes and clearing debris, and ended by hanging drywall and painting.  All that to say I have a fairly good understanding of the town.  I tend not to visit the tourist spots, where newly emerging college students are attempting to determine what their alcohol limit may be.  I love to stroll through the garden district and view the great homes, and the smattering, big smattering, of churches.  If nothing else you must remember this place was settled by the French and the Spanish -- we got us some fine churches.  

And we got some fine and different people. Geographically New Orleans sits essentially surrounded by water, as you may have learned, which makes it an island.  An island, although attached very much apart.  And islands, as you may not have learned, attract an especially odd assortment of characters.  Now clearly some are here to entertain the tourists, but others are here because they belong here and wouldn't fit anywhere else.  A couple of fiends of mine and i used to come to NOLA for Halloween.  The game that we would play was "who is dressed up and who looks like that every day of the year?"

As I was riding in on the trolley last night, a tall middle aged man with raggedy clothing got on and sat a couple of rows in front of me.  He looked tired.  Not sleepy tired. Bone tired.  Life tired.  And he had hair.  Lots of hair. Hair that was unkept and reached the floor.  Seriously.  Would not have been surprised if not so tiny creatures were living in his hair.  It was pretty stunning.  He arose from  his seat to exit before me, and I gave him a big smile when our eyes met.  And he smiled back.  I offered "enjoy your evening," and he responded "thanks, I will."  He was just a big ol' scary, hairy guy headed home.

it was a thin place.