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Tuesday, July 20, 1999
Things, and people, take so much upkeep. Structures take so much upkeep. It always amazes me how a building that was built to last, that had thousands of people flowing through, can within a year or two of being unused look so shabby and derelict. Older building last better since they were built more solid, with solid materials, but even they don't look good for long. A week or two and a home without a housekeeper looks trashy and quickly goes downhill to filthy. A child without a caretaker, even if fed and clothed, soon starts looking like a little lost child with dirty fingernails and a smudged face. Even with a loving caretaker keeping a child clean is an uphill battle. An adult who has lost the person they love can soon look unkempt and wild. They often appear at work with socks that don't match and blouses with stains on them, because nothing matters. Those of us who are naturally unkempt, have to consciously fight the entropy of life. A child starts out with no idea that they need to fight against the natural deterioration of things and can have their heart broken when a favorite toy or favorite person falls apart. A town that's deserted soon melts back into the landscape with only some drunken buildings with the gray of time on them letting us know that people once lived here. A town, or neighborhood, that's lost hope soon deteriorates. It becomes too much trouble to care because the inhabitants don't see anything to care about. A town that has hope has a sparkle despite the troubles it may have. What is amazing is that the human race has survived what with the ability of everything we have to fall apart combined with our inate laziness. Yes laziness. When was the last time you bought a product that said it would make you work harder? Sometimes it's like trying to carry water in a sieve, but we usually get up the next day and try it again. Humans are strange people.
Biked - 8 miles
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