Ali Taylor

Life is full of little unexpected surprises.  Strolling thru my local amazing flee market (Melrose and Fairfax), is where you can find me on most Sundays.  You can really find so many different treasures, I went there today with my roommate, with holes burned thru my pockets, with my last forty dollars, which I can't spend because it's the only money I have until Friday.  I convince myself to not buying anything, very level headed, gas and food is more important this week.  Just when I thought I had escaped the tantalizing appeal of the trading post, I saw it: it was the most amazing picture I had ever seen, it was huge - an old victorian painting, set in the 1800's, with a real wood grand gold frame perfectly outlining the scene.  It drew me and then drew me into a depression when I realized this painting had to be at least a couple hundred dollars, which I don't have.  As I was gazing sadly at the painting, which I knew I couldn't have right now, my roommate approached the seller and asked how much the painting was. To my amazement, he replied "forty dollars." At that exact moment a women's voice behind me said, "how much for the painting?" She was obviously as interested as I was. I screamed "I'll take it!" 

I grabbed my scrunched up gas and food money from my pocket and handed it over, took my painting, and made my way out of there quickly - out of fear that the man would realize he'd made a big mistake.  

What a great day! I just finished hanging my enormous new painting up and have been staring at it for the last hour.  I have to say, I've never been so happy to be so poor.

So, rambling around the whole state of America and was reminded by a friend how good we actually have it.  My friend, being from Israel, had to go into the army when he was eighteen and commit the next three years of his life to his country, while all the while living on one hundred dollars a month.  

In fact all teenagers must devote three years of their lives; boys and girls.  His sister turned eighteen this year and his mother is worried sick about her going to protect the country.  I know we Americans have their own reference of experience, but it sure does put some things into perspective.  He still has a piece of bullet shrapnel in his arm, and has already lost a best friend.  I don't know quite what to make of the current state of this country, I feel like Hilary got a bad rap, and Obama has this new idea of how everything should be changed: is it too idealistic?  Are we capable of that much 

change?  

I would like to think all things are possible, but since I reached my mid-twenties, I already feel like I've lived a couple life times, and I'm too jaded to believe that things will really change.  I feel like I've seen and done too much already which, yes, makes me definitely wiser. I guess ignorance is bliss. 

Sometimes, I wish I would have grown up in much simpler times, and other times I wish I was part of the revolution in the late sixties.  People were so inspired to make things different, today it seems like a trend or a fad, like there's a transparency laced with-in it all.  This may be the most relevant decade in my lifetime, I guess we should all pay extra close attention and try to enjoy the ride.