Sometimes people can surprise you. Often we get so bogged down by the things we think are happening. Or by what is really happening and is so powerfully negative so we see it everywhere but it's actually happening in such small doses. Being out here in this madhouse of humanity, I get to interact with people from all over the world and much of it is unfiltered. I do see people out of their element and thus uncomfortable and gruff but more often than not I see them tender and good.
Today I really saw people because I looked. Today I looked because people surprised me. Giving programs today meant quality time with two very different families and five heart-achingly enthusiastic, wonder-filled children. When I return to life with "news" I am always reminded how "polarized" we are in this country. The Christians judge the gays, the liberals the conservatives, the this disapproves of the that. What I SEE instead is that people are usually pretty kind and tolerant of others. Three children with parents who identify loudly as conservative Christians can sit hand in hand with little boys with both a momma and a mommy. The kids can fawn over the bear pelts while their very "different" parents smile knowingly at each other over the five little heads. The adults can allow their children to experience people that they may in ideology "disapprove of" but in reality they treat with admiration and understanding. I see beauty and love and peace. Today I saw inept teens flirt shamelessly and awkwardly with others no matter their skin color or skin condition or language barriers. I saw people helping strangers discover a new bird or just what exactly "the ranger called that crazy yellow flower". I see people being pretty damn cool to the cross-country cyclists, the people who are lost, the really slow-talking grandpa... Sure, there are times when someone stands out and the crowd looks at them...maybe the little boy with the long hair and pink sparky shirt, or the backpacker with the dreads and the messy gear warming herself by the fire or the family with a beautiful diversity of skin tones walking down the boardwalk and I see the stares, I see the questioning but I also see the attempting to understand someone who isn't like the people they know. I see the gaining of life experiences at eight and eighty.
Of course there is evil and pain and suffering and complete aholes even in this wild place... I am not diminishing those experiences. I get yelled at and walked out on and I get pissed off at people often in this job. I also realize I often get to see people at their best (or at least on their time off) but I get to see regular people who are in an extraordinary place. Without our walls of the known, we are more open and more patient with each other. These places are wonderlands of wildness and natural beauty but they also have become places of human diversity and interaction. It's brilliant!
Holy cats, I know I sound like a kool-aid drinkin' fool right now but good glory does life make you smile until your face hurts sometimes. All it takes is five loving little kids, ten sweaty little hands, and a whole bunch of cool animal parts to make your day so much better.
You've made your momma cry. Thanks.
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