- Mark Twain's Autobiography
The Sunday morning air was crisp in St. Louis as the sun peeked through white clouds. The light blue sky played hide and seek with the clouds as I walked the dog. Today we had the sidewalks all to ourselves and our own thoughts. Jack's dog thoughts were about tantalizing odors, startling sounds, and the temptingly quick movements of a squirrel.
As I walk, I think about the week to come. Jack never does. He keeps his nose in the here and now. I wonder who has it right?
Right away, I find Mardi Gras beads left behind and think about the St. Louis Mardi Gras celebration. I hear it is second only to New Orleans. I find lots of evidence the revelers were here. That was Saturday night; this is Sunday morning. What a difference a few hours make.
My thoughts leap to the past and think about beautiful old French St. Louis laid out along the Mississippi River. Quaint and very European with pleasing balconies and black iron work, this town was La France mid-America. I sadly recall that it all was ripped away by a raging, unstoppable firestorm in 1848. I think "What a shame!" I miss what was lost.
My attention is drawn back to more beads lying in the grass, a crushed McDonald's cup, and four Bud Lights. I puzzle out three bottles and one can lying together. Perhaps, another story lurks in that grouping.
The flotsam and jetsam of life teased me this morning. It was everywhere I looked. I also found some lagan and derelict wrecks as we walked through the shop and restaurant area. One young man looked absolutey unseaworthy. I think he better stay home.
I thought about all the things we leave behind throughout life. Some are just old paper cups, and some are pure gold. Some are just cheap plastic beads, and some works of art, but I have to agree with my friend Sam Clemens that "there are no trivial occurences in life."
Sometimes on walks, I think too much. Jack never does. He lives in the moment. I jump back and forth from the present to the past and on to the future. That's exactly why I walk. Jack, on the other hand, simply walks on the off chance he will meet a squirrel. Both reasons may be valid. I think so.
We will try again tomorrow and see if we can find anything trivial.
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