Amsterdam is stunning this time in May. Flowers are in full bloom, trees are bright green, days are long, and I am now on my third day in a row of extended sunshine. Sitting outside provides an excellent opportunity to watch people and imagine their stories. The variety is fascinating!
Beyond the obvious, incredible retro or current fashion statements, often stated on a bike in motion, there are full ranges of attitudes on display. You can find the young single mothers in the latest sport fashion, cruising along on a bike, with every nuance of her being screaming arrogance and the need for power. Clearly, perceptions are now always true. However, when another cyclist cuts across her path and ends up confronted by the Ms., there can be moments of label confirmation!
I really enjoyed watching the older couple stroll by engrossed in deep conversation. They seemed oblivious to the world around them. The caring for each other was obvious. The intense love for the other on display for all to note. You also could feel the passion of their individual convictions just as strongly. I found myself wondering about their history together, where they lived, and what their relationship networks were like.
I found myself puzzled by the woman in the restaurant. She was eating early and alone, dressed casually, and reading a Star Trek novel. The combination with shoulders that slumped from too much strain, an approach to other patrons that was distant and aloof, along with a terseness with the staff who were trying to serve her brought out the compassion in me. What was the story that none of us knew? Could we do anything in the present?
I wonder what attire I wear. Do I realize that my journey often delivers the clothes that others see?
“She [evil] runs a halfway house to hell, fits you out with a shroud and a coffin.” (Proverbs 7.27)
Although I am wearing some ill-fitting outfits, I do not have to stay this way. God offers you and I new garments, free for the asking.
