City Sights

A little more than a month ago, I moved to Washington D.C. from the Maryland suburbs. This is my first experience of living in the city and it's fun learning all about my new community and city life. Today I ventured forth and tried public transportation, riding the "Circulator" bus -- all in all it was a far more pleasant way to get around the city than driving in traffic. I visited a colleague, who is also pastor of a DC church and this morning we witnessed some typical city sights -- one charming and the other disgusting. As we left her church to go for coffee, abandoned in the parking lot was a used condom -- yuck! At least, someone is using condoms -- DC has a high rate of HIV infections -- which reminds me of another city sight -- this one witnessed out the bus window: the public health awareness poster on a bus stop wall which read "Aids, DC's Katrina." Both of these served as a reminder that the hard edges of the city are found not only in the lines and angles of the buildings, but also in the societal challenges. To move on to the charming sight -- around the corner from the coffee shop there is a child care center and on this hot summer day, the staff had cordoned off a bit of the plaza and the tykes were out playing with water -- the pavement was wet, the children were dripping and the faces were smiling. Meanwhile, other little ones were being pushed in those 6-seater strollers and all six of the little cherubs were fast asleep -- heads lolling, limbs dangling and rubbery -- as precious as all get out. These little ones served as a reminder that joy, innocence and possibility are also part of the complex energy and ethos which is life in the city.