The Dust Speck Perspective

Have you ever stopped and looked at all of the people walking and driving around? Today I stared out the window of a bookstore in a mall and I was suddenly hit with the fact that I'm so insignificant. There were so many people driving around and all I could do was wonder where everyone was going; what events transpired that led them to wind up at the mall the same time I was there. Maybe someone had to pick up food for their baby. I started thinking about how each and every one of the people around me had parents, had problems in their lives, had hopes, dreams, and aspirations. It made me feel so small. But all of a sudden the moment was gone, everything adjusted, and the world felt normal again...

The Bathroom

So I've recently noticed that whenever someone knocks on the bathroom door, I respond in an odd way. I don't think I've ever really given it much thought, but whenever I'm in a public restroom and someone knocks on the stall I ask, "Yes?" As if I didn't know why someone would be knocking on a stall door, as if this complete stranger was knocking so they could strike up a conversation. Wouldn't the more acceptable response be "Someone's in here," or "Occupied,"? Yet I consistently answer with some sort of a questioning acknowledgement. It makes me sound like a hopelessly confused dog; why would someone do such a thing? I can only hope that one day, I'll either respond to the knocking correctly, or the mysterious stranger will answer my question.