Run

I visited the worst place to be today. Nope, not the doctor, nor the dentist. The worst place to be is the DMV/DPS whichever you call it. I HATE going there, with a passion. They give you a number and tell you to wait till you're called. Its a small room with rows of chairs, all facing the same way. The ceiling is low and the lights are dim. Its crowded and noisy because someone always has a crying baby or a fussy child. You sit there and just watch the seconds, minutes tick on by. You're number is 58...and they're on number 23. REALLY? KILL ME NOW. As you're waiting, you think about all the other things you could be doing. You get hungry. You get annoyed of the crying child. Or the lady talking on the phone extremely loud right next to you. On this particular trip, I noticed that;
1) Everybody goes to the DMV/DPS. You've got your redneck who stumbles in with a cutoff, stained, white shirt with his dirty jeans. The mother with two young girls, dressed exactly the same, down to the matching bows on their heads. The young couple who are lost in their own world, so the time is probably passing by just fine for them. The rich, socialite, dressed in heels and a tight dress...to renew her license. A teenage girl and her mother accompanied with her best friend. The immigrant from another country, who can't speak English very well and is required to show all of his information. And, a 19 year old girl, with Nike shorts and a TEXAS t-shirt, who observes everyone.
2) The lady who sits behind the counter must be so bored with her job. All she does is ask the same mundane questions, "How can I help you?", "Do you have a license/social security/permit/certificate?" and the same instructions. "Fill out this form and when you're number is called get in line." I must have heard her say this at least a hundred times while I was there.
3) There was a mother, with her two daughters. They were not wearing shoes. They were both wearing shirts that did not fit them; they looked 2 sizes too small. They were running around the place, dragging each other across the floor. They ran in between people's legs! They yelled, cried and laughed so loud! And all the while, their mother did nothing. nothing! I could not believe my eyes. The rich lady looked like she was about to catch Tetnus from them and their dirty, bare feet. I laughed when I saw her reaction to them. But, I had to agree, their mother really needed to stop them.

It just brought me back to my main point. There are so many different people in the world. There are people who are privileged, others who are not, and some in between. The lifestyle of each person can be seen by the way they carry themselves. And after an hour of sitting and observing, you can definitely gather some information about someone. The mother with the 2 daughters who were matching from head to toe looked at the other mother and her 2 daughters with disdain. And it sounds terrible and snobbish, but if you were there, you couldn't help but do that same thing. But what if the mother couldn't afford to buy her daughters shoes? Or shirts that fit them? And maybe her children are never looked after because she is always working, leaving them in the care of someone else.

When I left there today, I knew that I was blessed. Blessed to have a hard working father who loves his children dearly. To be raised in an environment that has little violence and a lot of stability.

But, boy, do I hate that place.