ally

every day when i walk home from class i see so many people and i wonder what their story is. i look at the homeless men on the sidewalk and the couples holding hands and the business women in skirts and heels and the happy girl behind the counter in the asian convenience store and the girl who sells me coffee and girl yelling into her cell phone and the kid carrying his film equipment and the young children on the way home from school and the girl on her sidekick and the public safety men where i sign joey and lj in and the kid screaming in the car window at the man who just hit his friend on his skateboard and the man who sells me nose rings and i wonder if they are happy. i wonder how they got where they are. i wonder if they are looking forward to something or if they are worried about something or where they are going. how did the old man end up homeless and living on astor? does the business woman like her job? how did she end up with the job she has? is the couple holding hands happy? are they married? engaged? are they in love? do they fight a lot? are they about to break up? is one of them hiding something from the other? what is their story? how did the girl who sells me coffee get the job on the mud truck? does she have class later? does she live on her own? every single person has their own life, and it's strange that any day two of these lives can intersect and be changed forever. it's even stranger that these people have gotten to where they are through many different cross roads and by finding themselves at intersections with so many other people. does the man who sells me nose rings and argues with kids over the price of a scarf make enough money to support his family? everyone has a story. i don't know if this makes me nosy or curious or compassionate but i do it. and i like doing it. maybe it makes me perfect for the future i'm pursing. i don't just wonder about these people's lives. sometimes i wonder if i could ever make it better. i wonder if i could be their friend or if they could be my friend. there are so many different paths, especially in a city like new york, and you never know what could happen when two paths cross.