Funny How We Change

Hi, all. This is an update posting.

My friend in Austin continues to live in the bushes near a river. Recent rains raised the water level, increased the mosquitos and helped maggots prosper. For years he has worn long dirty blond dreadlocks, which now are ratty. One morning in early summer he awoke to his horror: maggots all over his head. And yes, he does have fleas.

He has been bathing at a nearby mental health relief center, which he did before getting on a train North to Waupaca, Wisconsin for his niece's wedding in August. The train was late getting into Chicago, causing him to miss his connection. Amtrak put him up in a luscious hotel in a hip neighborhood near the downtown station. My friend is from Chicago as am I. It doesn't look like it did the last time he was there - maybe 30 years ago. That's when the upscale neighborhood where he stayed overnight was skid row.

He did find his way to the wedding despite a few other obstacles, such as missing the bus twice. My friend is coming up on his 56th birthday in November. Most of his friends have died. From natural causes, such as heart attacks, mostly. I knew them, too, over the years. One was my sister's first date.

A couple of days indoors and sleeping on a bed, well, I suppose one wouldn't sleep all that well for the change in location. I know I don't sleep well with the windows closed. Somehow the flow of air and energy from outside lulls me to sleep. Although I grew up in a high-rise in Chicago, and was able to sleep outside some nights, awaking naturally to the sunrise, I can no longer sleep outside there for the deafening traffic rolling along the outer drive. I remember when it wasn't deafening. I was accustomed to it then. Now I am accustomed to bird song and deafening bug sounds, like from cicadas and crickets. I love falling alseep to that, despite the volume.

Funny how we change.