The more I'm alert, the more situations I encounter that resemble a Mr. Roger's neighborhood. And you think about how he meant for that small make believe town to be make-believe, yes. If you think about it, though that little make believe town is what the world is full of. There are millions of make-believe Mr. Roger's neighborhoods all around us traveling like little snow globes as we go through our every day lives. I suppose the difference is-well they are not make believe (they are actually real.) Even though it sometimes feels like what you are encountering is a tiny litte fantasy neighborhood with a red trolley. 

I witnessed one of those little miniature neighborhoods inside a small ice cream shop that happens to be no bigger than my apartment. In one corner you had two inividuals cuddling (very much unaware of the ice cream.) I could sense the scooper behind the counter had a lot of thoughts running through his head because he said little. Not impolite just...you know...probably trying to figure out his own miniature neighborhood. And then there was another couple with a giant order of waffle cones and cups on the side and separate ice cream scoops to give to their dogs even though this treat does not happen frequently. Then there was us. Flipping through flavors until a flavor was decided upon. And naturally a hidden pedestrian in the back who was waiting patiently and quietly to pick up the ice cream. Quiet-but still a member of the neighborhood.

Nine people in a single store made up a small little neighborhood. And you know sometimes reality does feel a bit make- believe and seemingly sometimes make believe is really much more reality. But on more than one occasion I stop and think every once and a while about our existence and the interconnecting of miniature neighborhoods. Maybe if we looked at life as not the whole but rather the smaller trolley neighborhoods-well...we wouldn't see things so seriously. We wouldn't stifle creativity so willingly. We wouldn't think to the future so consistently. 

* Cue trolley music

As tonight's miniature neighborhood comes to a close.