This is a picture of a guy I passed at the State Fair on Monday. I got to go by myself. I was retracing my steps from the last half hour because somehow my new fit bit watch thing had fallen off. I had my head up for a moment saw this t-shirt approaching, read it (it says “Bacon is a Vegetable”) and got a laugh that I needed.
Later, I was listening to a band at the Caribi Café and turned to see a little girl who was barely able to walk “digging” the band. Her mom was egging her on by dancing with her. The sight of the mom and the little girl, the family gathered around her and the band, the other people on the dance floor dancing and the cool air just all hit me at once. I don’t know what to call what I experienced except to say that every once in a while “people watching” pays off.
I’m not sure what researchers would say draws us to watch certain people and not others. A wild outfit, a pretty face, the way the sun hits their face, maybe as we catch them people watching us. Whatever it is, the State Fair is a great place to people watch without guilt because well first of all there are so many people there you better watch out for them.
I had given up on my fit bit thinking that by limiting myself to just one foot long corn dog, one order of cheese curds, an Icee, a bottle of water I filled up three times and only one turkey leg I had somehow saved the money I had lost on it. As I was cruising, I saw this park bench. Dave was Judy Gibson’s husband. Dave passed away in 2012 and I was surprised to sort of bump into his bench with only one guy sitting on the end before the “D.” I guess you could say that Dave is still supporting people at the Fair by giving them a bench to sit on.
After I took the picture of Dave’s bench I saw a sign that said, “Lost and Found,” and thought why not. I told the guy behind the counter, “I lost one of those fit bit type things.” At that he said, “Wait a minute,” and returned with my fit bit. Can you believe that!
How somebody saw that little watch lying somewhere and then took the time to turn it in to the one place I might go to ask that is well... Looking out for me, having my back...It also inspires me to do the same the next time I’m watching someone and see they could use someone having their back. The State Fair is a place that reminds me how it is that we are asked in the gospels not to just people watch but to watch out for other people.