Clothes Pins

I am a people watcher, and I have been known to eve-drop on conversations in public places. I will lay blame on a former significant other who was an expert at eves-dropping.

So, this morning while waiting in line, at the local Starbucks, I could not help overhearing a conversation between two male patrons. One was perhaps in his early to mid 50's. The other appeared to be much older.

As I stand in line, the younger says to the older, "So where did you sleep last night?" The older gentleman replied with a location that prompted the other to say, "It's awfully cold outside. You need a warmer coat."

The older of the two told his coffee and scone companion that his zipper is broken. The other man recommended clothes pins to clip the coat shut. At this point the line had moved past and I was no longer in eves-dropping range.

In our everyday lives, we stress over things that, in the grand scheme of things don't really matter. The stress that these men suffer is the difference between an empty or full belly. It is the difference between freezing to death (literally) while you sleep vs. staying in a shelter where everything you have may be stolen by the man in the next cot.

It certainly makes my worries seem rather insignificant.