Enjoy Family Life

After supper this evening, I took a nice long walk around the surrounding neighborhoods. It's nice to live in a place again where there are ample sidewalks, and streets without too much traffic. When I lived in Makiki, sidewalks were iffy... there would be a sidewalk for a while, and then suddenly it wasn't there anymore. In Salt Lake, there were sidewalks, but the neighborhoods I felt comfortable walking around in alone were limited. Here I can walk for several miles with a number of different streets to choose from. Many of the homes are very nice, though not ostentatious. I see people walking their dogs, or pushing their young children along in stollers. So far, I haven't seen any homes with cats.

Before leaving Hawaii, my friend's clairvoyant friend told me that in my future she sees us living in a neighborhood with many large houses, and many women wearing aprons! The houses are large here, but I've yet to see a single apron, except for the one my friend Rebecca put on the "action figure" she made of me before I left. I kind of like the grenade necklace detail. ;)

Anyway, while I was walking, I remember seeing a car drive by with two nicely dressed young men in white button-down shirts. I saw them only for a moment, but my immediate thought was, "I bet those are Mormons, or Jehova's Witnesses!" Then I thought about why I thought that for a while. Then I had to cross a somewhat busy street, so I stopped thinking.

About a half an hour later, on a very quiet street, in my peripheral vision I detected a black car slowing down for me. I didn't really hear it because I was listening to Jelly Roll Morton. My frist instinct when this happens is to be suspicious, so I casually stepped away, looked at the car and turned off the music. Two women, also nicely dressed. Next I thought they might ask me for directions (like I know how to get anywhere yet), but instead, the passenger extended her arm out the window, politely offering me a small pamphlet entitled, "Enjoy Family Life." She said I could read it at home. So I took it.

So it seems the Jehova's Witnesses were indeed out in the neighborhood this evening, on a proselytizing mission. I don't mind it so much if they just hand me a pamphlet on the street, as they did this evening. I don't care for it when they come to my door, or interrupt my day by trying to engage me in a conversation about religion. I did read the pamphlet... and I can't say I disagree with much of its contents. I suppose what I do take objection to is the prescriptive nature of the language. The you-should-do-this or you-should-not-do-that makes it sound like they are addressing simplistic, thoughtless automotrons that will simply do as programmed, instead of people on a journey to developing good character.

What I really enjoyed about that walk though is how some people like to water their sidewalks and the edge of the street. Funny that I don't usually like to walk in the rain, but I do get a kick out of walking through someone's sprinkler. ;)