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People


I am the People, the Mob
by Carl Sandburg

 I am the people-- the mob-- the crowd-- the mass.
Do you know that all the great work of the world is done through me?
I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the world's food and clothes.
I am the audience that witnesses history.  The Napoleons come from me and the
     Lincolns.  They die.  And then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.
I am the seed ground.  I am a prairie that will stand for much plowing.  Terrible storms
     pass over me.  I forget.  The best of me is sucked out and wasted.  I forget.  Everything.  
     but Death comes to me and makes me work and give up what I have.  And I forget.  
Sometimes I growl, shake myself and splatter a few red drops for history to remember.  
     Then -- I forget.
When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the People, use the lessons of
     yesterday and no longer forgot who robbed me last year, who played me for a fool--
     then there will be no speaker in all the world say the name:  "The People,"  with any
     fleck of a sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.
The mob-- the crowd-- the mass-- will arrive then. 

People.  "People, people who need people."  It seems I'm a people (person) who needs people.  Yesterday morning, I left approximately fifteen minutes later than normal.  At least I tried to leave fifteen minutes later than normal,  in reality, I left about 40 minutes later than normal.  When I tried to leave the first time, I went to open my garage to realize the spring on my garage door had snap which explained the weird noise last night when I shut the garage door.  This meant that even when I unhooked the garage door opener, I still couldn't open the door.  Immediately, I tried to text a couple colleagues who live in my neighborhood, but both were well on their way to school.  Next, I tried Uber to realize I didn't have the needed app.  I settled with calling a taxi.  The taxi ride was scarier than any taxi ride I've had, including those in Mexico and Guatemala.  Eventually, I arrived at school and contacted the association president to help get my garage door fixed.  When the garage door opener people called, I told them I would drive home over my lunch to unlock the door.  Then I went down to the office to explain that I was going to go home to let the garage door opener people in.  Without calling me stupid, they reminded me that I didn't have a car... oh yeah!  Everything worked out.  My garage door opener is fixed, and a colleague drove me home, no need for a cab.  I needed all of these people (and more) to get me through the day yesterday.

I give thanks for...
1) Colleagues to drive me home and remind me of the reality of my situation
2)  Less than adequate weather this week before break
3) My association management always takes care of me in a timely manner.
4) A working garage door opener.

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