Sherlan and I were walking into a See's Candies to redeem a gift certificate I had gotten from a co-worker for the holidays. The mall was pretty busy, even though it was New Years Eve, but we had time to kill and I was getting antsy to use the gift certificate before I lost it or put it through the wash. As we walked towards See's, we passed by a Brookstone, and while Brookstone usually has really interesting stuff, I never see anything in a Brookstone that ever really registers in my brain. Except on this fateful, New Years Eve, we saw something that will be etched in our brains until the end of time.
As we walked by Brookstone, we saw a child on a mechanical bull, and while that by itself is not necessarily noteworthy, believe me, it was. First of all, this was not the mechanical bull that you see at bars or restaurants, this was a Brookstone mechanical bull: sleek, metallic, and post modern. (Editor's note: I spent 15 minutes on the Brookstone site looking for this item. This place is maddeningly frustrating, so I apologize for the lack of a link.) Second of all, the kid on the bull did not look like he was enjoying it at all, but at the same time did not look like he wanted to get off or was going to get off. It was a depressing and confusing sight, it was a portrait of mediocrity.
A couple of weeks later, we stumbled into a different mall, but we witnessed a similar result. This time we were at an outdoor mall and the first thing we saw walking in were these trampoline-harness devices. I had seen these devices before, but never at this mall. The object of these devices is simple: you strap yourself in, jump on the trampolines and start flipping until your crotch can take no more. It looks pretty cool if you aren't the one in the harness, but it's pretty painful for you in you're the one strapped in (at least for guys it is). Once again, we saw a child, kind of bored, kind of miserable, but not bothered enough to get out of ther situation.
Recently, we went to go see a performance of the musical, The Music Man, where we witnessed a young child, probably no older than 4, trying to keep up with rest of the cast. He looked lost and maybe a little frustrated. If he weren't an adorable little chubby child, we probably wouldn't have cared much, but he was and he kind of stole the show (not being sarcastic at all). We rooted for him being the underdog that he was and in all honesty, he delivered.
So see the children at the Brookstone, in the trampoline, and at the theatre, it was alarming to see a person to look so defeated, but at the same time, not looking for a way out. I hope for these children, that these situations are isolated and this is not a sign of things to come. To say that your child like faith was lost one fateful day at a Brookstone would just be a travesty.
No comments:
Post a Comment