One of the things I like about riding in a car, or a bus, or a train

[conuly]

is seeing the little moments in people's lives outside the vehicle. The faster pace inside makes even small things look ever more meaningful and huge.

A few weeks ago we were going to the doctor, and at one corner we saw a woman with three elementary aged kids, one of whom was scared of walking through a flock of pigeons in case she startled them and they flew up in her face. Her mother had to go back and shoo the pigeons away. When we turned the corner - there was a huge flock of turkeys! And that girl was worried about the pigeons!

Yesterday we were going to a different doctor, and on this corner I see a young girl, skipping and excited, dashing into her apartment building. Turn the corner and there's another girl, also coming home from school, miserable face, clearly just finished crying, trudging along. Poor kid. I hope today is better.

Comments

[kaffy_r]

Thank you for this. I love hearing from people who pay attention to what lies beyond their windows.

A flock of turkeys?

Wow.

[conuly]

They walk slowly, when they're flocking around.

[kaffy_r]

They do. Also, I'm reminded of something my late stepdad once told my mother, apparently about a time when his farming family had at least a small number of turkeys. He said they had to get them indoors when it rained, because they had an unfortunate tendency to look up and open their beaks during the rain.

And drown. At least some of them.

[conuly]

I've always heard that too, about domesticated turkeys, but your stepdad was pulling your leg. That's not really a thing that happens, that's just something people like to say happens, like they say that lemmings follow each other around, even off of cliffs.

It is true that turkeys sometimes look up for an extended period of time, but this is due to a genetic malady.

https://thehipchick.com/will-a-turkey-drown-in-the-rain/

[kaffy_r]

Thanks for debunking this! I was tempted to say I was disappointed - and then I realized that I should be glad for all the turkeys that didn't drown in the rain.

[conuly]

Some of the sites I saw when double checking did point out that deaths of baby turkeys in the rain are not unheard of - but then, as one put it, we wouldn't leave a baby human alone in the rain and expect good results.

[adafrog]

Yes.

[asakiyume]

YES--I love this too. And the moments you witnessed and shared are just great, especially in the contexts you describe.

[sallymn]

Oh yes, it's one of the pleasures of taking public transport, wondering about the people we see...