Monday, 7/15

There are many things to love about living in Marquette.  For me, it's sometime the sheer randomness of it all.

Let me explain.  I was out enjoying our toasty and sunny weekend when I came across something on the bike path by South Beach--

You might not even notice it if you're biking to the South Trails or out to Harvey, but on a picnic table aside the trail someone had put out a vase full of wildflowers--

I have no idea why the vase was there.  I don't know if someone left the vase there after a nice lunch in the sun, or if someone put the vase there on purpose.  All I know is that, on a picnic table alongside a bike path, someone had stuck a vase full of flowers.

How random is that?

And that's just one example of the "randomness" I was describing.  If you walk anywhere in the city (or, if you're like a dork and walk EVERYWHERE in the city) you see so many examples of it, from sidewalk art encouraging you to enjoy the day to a statue in someone's flower bed of Godzilla eating a garden gnome.   Unlike some places, you never know what you might see when you cross a street or round a corner..  And, of course, you miss it all if you drive everywhere.

But if you're in the right place at the right time, someone's random act can bring a smile to your face, give you a little encouragement, or stop for a second and just marvel at the randomness of it all.

Especially when you see things like a vase of flowers on a picnic table.

(jim@wmqt.com)