Misadventures of a so-called seasoned traveler, part one

Hello friends! I am happy to report Gary and I have safely arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, and have been enjoying a wonderful trip so far.

Following our youth program Tuesday evening (yes, talking about YOU KNOW, fortunately reported “not awkward at all”, by one of our eight graders to her mom), we immediately hopped over to the BART station to catch a ride to the San Francisco airport (apparently pronounced ‘Seff-o’ by locals). Ah, the joy of public transportation in the Bay Area, with its inherent invitation to people-watch. I find myself always intrigued… sometimes scared… usually enlightened. This trip was no exception.

This time, my eye happened to be caught by a particular gentleman on the other side of the track. To my surprise, this older man, wearing a beige trench coat, decided to pass the time by doing pushups on a bench! Hey, as long as you’re hanging out, waiting for a train, you might as well get fit in the process, right? Pretty cool for an old dude.

Right about then, a couple of cops ran past us followed by a team of paramedics. They rushed to the bench on our right, and began to assist a woman who had been sitting there since we’d arrived. I had seen her, but she had been waiting calmly and did not appear in any distress. Gary and I looked towards her, concerned and yes, curious, when Gary exclaimed, “Hey, that’s Jim! That guy goes to our church!” Turns out the lead paramedic was someone Gary had recently met.

Now, here’s the strange thing. Most people, if one happened to bump into them while working, would be able to stop and exchange a few pleasantries. Not so much with the paramedics. They’re kinda busy. So here we are, watching Jim do his job not ten feet away, without being able to acknowledge him. And really, the next time we see him, what would we say? “Remember the woman at the BART station? Yeah, we were watching you. Good job with the life-saving!” What’s EMT etiquette here? I just don’t know.

I glanced back over at Old Trench Coat Dude. He didn’t seem too concerned with the sick lady. He had finished his pushups and moved on to squats.

To be continued…