Septmeber 1: Walmart, McNuggets, Maggie Nelson, "Why is the Sky Blue?"

"Why is the sky blue?"  --A fair enough question, and one I have learned the answer to several times.  Yet every time I try to explain it to someone or remember it to myself, it eludes me.  Now I like to remember the question alone, as it reminds me that my mind is essentially a sieve, that I am mortal.
                         ---from Bluets by Maggie Nelson

I stopped my Walmart tonight after work.  There was a beautiful, cloudless sky.  A kind of light blue that reminded me of the malted milk eggs I used to get in my Easter basket.  As I pulled into the parking, I noticed a man standing by the road, holding a sign that said something like, "Working my way west.  Need money."

I went into Walmart and bought my groceries.  Then, I stopped by the McDonald's in the store and bought some fries, chicken McNuggets, and a pop.  I carried my purchases out to my car, and then I took the food and walked over to the man.

He came over to me, slowly.  I held out the bag and pop to him.  "I don't have any money, but here," I said.

He took the bags.  "Thanks, man," he said.  He was younger than me, with long hair and beard.  Looked as if he hadn't slept for a long time.

"God bless," I said, and I turned and went back to my car.

As I was leaving the parking lot, I saw the man hunched down, eating the fries and drinking the pop.

I kept looking up at the sky on my home, thinking about how lucky I am.

Saint Marty is thankful tonight for his life.