Several strangers behaved like my guardian angels today, and I didn't properly thank any of them. One lady, with whom I shared a moment of idle conversation, offered to hold my cup while I fumbled to cram my book into my purse. Later, while sleeping on a bench outside waiting for jury duty selection to commence, a boy who silently shared a bench with me was kind enough to wake me when they reopened the courtroom after lunch. People held doors open for others and smiled more genuinely than usual, and was it just me, or was everyone's eyeballs glittered with a thoughtful twinkle? I can't imagine why they'd be so generously friendly to a sleepy girl with boyish hair who barely managed to roll out of bed and into a hoodie and onitsuka tigers, unless they just felt sorry for me. Maybe the fear of jury duty brought out a tribal spirit of brotherhood/sisterhood within us all. I never understand why strangers are kind to me. They don't have to, but they look after me anyway, always with the gentlest eyes. I must provoke a paternal/maternal instinct in strangers, having been the youngest daughter. I hope I at least said thank you with my eyes, because my mouth seems to have trouble thinking of the words in time.
5:20 p.m. - 2008-01-02