my spot....

i had decided i'd wait til noon to call him.
that way if he had a late nite, he could sleep in,
or if he was at work, maybe i'd hit his lunch hour...

at 11:30 he knocked on my studio door.

i hopped up and dragged him inside.

it was my neighbor.
the one who had the ambulance visit.

the guys heard him and came on in to get
the scoop and offer help. i smiled at them
as they came in. they've always liked this guy.

we all huddled in to hear what was up with his mom.
turns out she did break her hip and was in the
hospital.

so much for our report of nothing was wrong the
nite before.

i apologized to him.
told him we had been told everything was okay,
and just came back home.

he told of hangin' at the hospital most of the nite.

okay. lesson learned there.
don't listen to the ambulance guys.
or at least grill them better.

we stood around and talked a bit, he told a few stories.
he's one of the best story tellers i know.
don't know why.
but i love when he tells a story.

and he always makes me laugh.
even when we're talkin' about tough life stuff.
it's been that way for years.
and i treasure it.

he leaned over, gave me hug, a kiss on the cheek,
and off he went. i truly like the warmth he gives out.
he had been to a few neighbors filling them in.

now the neighborhood knew what was goin' on.

my elderly neighbor called me to fill me in
in case i didn't know. we talked of what we could
do to help.

i saw my neighbor across the street out talkin'
with him for a long time.

i smiled as i walked by the living room window
and saw them.

'THERE'S my neighborhood' i thought.'
it's filled with some really good caring people.

this morning as i walked, i soaked up my neighborhood.
i really do like it here.
i really do.

i like that my neighbor comes over and fills me in,
hugs me and makes me laugh. i like that i see the
different neighbors talking to each other and laughing with each other
and checking in on each other.

i just kept walking this morning.
i wanted to be out in it.
i wanted to just feel it and hold it.
and so i just kept walking.
looking at the cracks in the street, the messed up asphalt,
the unkept lawns, the tiny houses....
the people driving to work and waving...

my spot on the planet.

i needed it this morning.
sometimes you just need to soak up your spot.