Valentine's Walk

Tonight my young adult spiritual discussion group met. We meet about twice a month to discuss a previously determined book or article. We have also met to watch a movie together. Most of us found out about the group from a craig's list posting and a good number of us are new to Milwaukee. The discussions can be quite interesting as we have a wide range of religious backgrounds and no denomination seems to win out. Yes, we are all Christians or were raised with Christian backgrounds, but as I said, our denominations are diverse - Catholic, Pentacostal, Methodist, Mormon, Lutheran, and Baptist. Tonight's discussion was great, and I'm starting to really appreciate the group. In case you're interested we discussed a sermon that was written by Dean Neville of BU. Can you guess who suggested it? I picked it because we often talk about the religious right and I wanted to see our reactions to someone who, I believe, is a little too far left.

Anyway, after such a nice evening, I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood. The weather is balmy (37F!) and I hoped the fresh air would make it easier to fall asleep. The walk went by quickly, which means I must have had a good deal to think about. This would be a very boring entry except that along the way I witnessed three men arguing across a parking lot. Two men on one side of the lot and the third on the other kept yelling, daring the other group to fight. Being Valentine's Day I imagined that they were fighting over a girl. I tried to think of that instead of all the expletives they were shouting. It was somewhat comical how both threatened but certainly neither one wanted to fight the other. The single man walked into the street, suggesting that they fight in the road; at this point I assumed they must be drunk. I kept walking as cars began to pass; they slowed down, honked, and the man kept yelling. Then came the unmistakable sound of a body being hit by a car. I turned around to see the man on the hood of a car and then fall onto the ground. I thought, "This is me being tested." followed by, "This is me, wanting nothing to do with the situation." The two or three cars that had been driving by stopped and the drivers got out. However, by the time they were out of their cars, the man had already risen from the ground and had continued his tirade against the other men. I couldn't see the pair anymore, nor could I hear them so I don't know what happened. Like a wimp, I decided that the man was not seriously hurt, the drivers had all gotten out of their cars, and surely, by now, someone had used a cell phone. I would not be needed, so I continued on my walk. A block later, an ambulance drove towards "the action" only to justify my rationalization.

A few other strange things happened on my walk, but all of them were the "you-had-to-be-there" types and would be difficult to explain in the blog-format - like the juxtaposition of overheard conversations or glances from a couple as they exited a romantic restaurant. At one point I checked for the moon to make sure it wasn't full.