the bike ride

So earlier today I got invited to a bicycle ride with some friends and some people I have never met before. overall the whole experience was good. put a few miles on the tall bikes, got a lot of attention. Rode right down grand river through the MSU campus. Got a lot of people surprised and a lot of reactions.

Overall a good ride

However, right off the get go, hadn't even unloaded the bikes off the truck....

there was this old fella walking down the path. interesting looking chap (coming from a guy that rides bikes around 6 feet in the air) he was a short man, looked a bit unkempt. big beard, wore a coat on a summer day. pith helmet...some sort of face shielding measure, looked like a 3x5 index card folded in half with eye holes cut in it. there he was strolling up the path minding his own business. enjoying the day, who knows...who cares?

on of the companions attached to our group shouts out "hey it's your dad" directed to the guy I was standing next to. We were across a decent sized parking lot for a bike trail. maybe 10 cars between us. the old fella had to have heard it, and if i had to wager in a college town he might get a fair amount of ribbing tossed his way.

the old guy made it about 20-30 feet and the antagonist doesn't exactly shout, but doesn't exactly whisper "hey MR.xxx" I omitted the name.

I felt pretty bad for the old guy. there are few people who read this blog and you all know i do a lot of picking and prodding and making fun of others. and I am not saying that's ok by any means, but it's in hushed voices and limited to a select group of people. if someone I don't know is in earshot it doesn't get said. not right but a bit more respectful.

so right off the bat my first impressions of this guy are pretty well that of a extrovert asshole. over the course of the next few hours select bits of conversation didn't help to dispel these impressions.

still I wondered about the old fella. I am a dweller of sorts. I dwell on things, ponder a bit too much sometimes. was he able to tune out the would be insults, was hearing the first thing to go and he simply didn't hear? Did he go home and cry because whatever circumstances put him in that predicament get compounded by the rudeness of a stranger?

given the chance to accompany the same group of people I will probably decline. everyone has their good points and their bad points. Maybe it all stems from getting picked on a lot in grade school, and Junior High and High school. It sucks to mind your own business and go out of your way to avoid people and predicaments you find uncomfortable only to have them ambush you out of the blue.

there I go pondering again.

A society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable