Mall Madness

It might be an indication of my age, but a venture to the mall ranks somewhere up there with a trip to the dentist. This afternoon I headed to Cherry Hill with Taylor and her friend for a few hour shopping escapade that landed me smack dab in the middle of mall madness. People were dodging oncoming cars, drivers were weaving in and out of the course of traffic to nab their perfect spot and the level of anxiety could have been cut with a spork (and not even a rusty one).

I had intentions of heading inside and stopping in a few shops, but my thought process was swiftly altered as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. We planned to rendezvous in two hours at the same spot. The kids had fun and were able to find some great things. Seeing the kids smile, being happy and together makes me happy & brings with it a whole lot of joy. I get the fact that the mall, to a teenager, is on the same level as a great day of surf in LBI. Everyone needs their own means of stoke and that comes in many forms.

Driving around I found myself trying to reason as to why there were thousands of cars in the parking lot with people scurrying in every direction. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with shopping or embracing the mall, but it is a pretty interesting thought. Over the years I think a lot of what makes up 'me' has changed a bit. I find myself more comfortable in smaller settings. I prefer strumming my guitar next to the fire pit in the backyard over a Broadway show or fancy restaurant. Watching tv and hearing about the last lavish wedding or event I find myself perturbed at how far that money could have really gone to help pay a mortgage or give a school full of kids a whole year+ of meals. In crowds my mind drifts to who among them is struggling with an addiction, is foreclosing on their home or is being neglected. I realize the past eight years of sitting in a room hearing a whole lot from countless kids has altered everything about me. Sometimes that's a good thing and other times it isn't so good. I have found myself wishing that my head wasn't so heavy and that I could be less anxious. But, I guess if we were all alike the world wouldn't be so interesting now, would it?