Monday, May 18, 2009

On District Love. 90 minutes in Dupont.



"If everybody could just put their egos down and sit down on a bench and just enjoy the day..."

An absolutely glorious day, stopping after work at the Dupont Circle fountain, enjoying the beautiful day, the singer/songwriter, and the Times' Week in Review section. 

Michelle, my new Greek-American acquaintance, who just sat down next to me an hour ago and complimented my comfortable looking 3 dollar flip flops, just reminded me of that free stuff that life is all about. 

The importance of putting away our egos, talk to random homeless people playing chess as she likes to do, and sit back on a sunny afternoon and take in the wonder of warm spring day in one of the most diverse cities known to me.

An African man with dyed blond hair in dreads just tromped by shirtless in torn shorts holding a huge stick in his hand - walking in front of a suit carrying a trolley. Both looked equally at home there, walking across the fountain square.

I often wonder if you counted all the different nationalities - oh well, my my, case in point:

"Are you from Denmark?"

Asks guy standing in front of me while I'm typing. I'm very bad at remembering faces, or rather, I'm very bad at remembering people I meet while drunk, but luckily other people outdo me in that area and now I'm down two new acquaintances this afternoon... 

I know that chances are that I'll never see any of them again, just as I know that this city is also corrupt and infested with segregation and crime and the biggest of egos. But how I do love it and all the things it is also. Home to world citizens of every sort, the smartest of the smart and the most driven and adventurous and self-sacrificing, inspiring and fascinating people - sometimes in the shape of your cab driver and sometimes in the shape of your professor.

How can you not love all of these smiling people who sit down with you and talk peace and love and politics? And tell you where to go for the best Greek. And educate you on the workings of life on welfare and self help groups. And the ability to sit down and enjoy the moment - reminding me of a cab driver I rode with a couple of months back who told me to carpe momenti, cause we don't always have the whole day. 

How true in this fast paced and intensely random city. God, how my corny heart loves it.

1 comment:

  1. Congratulations on figuring out why so many of us love D.C.! You did it in such a short amount of time, but you nailed us. There is so much to love about our town -- I hope you get to experience and enjoy all of it sooner rather than later.

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