My Minority Report

It's interesting being off from work today. Usually, I'm surrounded by people my age, education, and typically, my gender. Since I have more freedom to have additional days off since I'm with the State, I've had the opportunity to do some shopping, eat some food, and sip some coffee when most of the Sioux Falls workforce are earning their paychecks. For example, Mary and I are at Scooter's, which is a great coffee house near the church we attend. Mary and I usually come here in the evenings and weekends, and at that time, the patrons here are the typical bunch: college students, friends catching up, and families getting a less-expensive reprieve from the trial and tribulations of life at home. However, the patrons today are a very different bunch. There are at least 3 flocks of giggling ladies, talking away about their kids, husbands, and friends without worrying about Billy sticking his finger in a light socket or Sally screaming for attention. There's a variety of college students, as usual, but there is also a large contingency of business people conducting their work over two Toffee Nut Lattes.

When we lived in PA, Mary and I never felt like we stood out; in fact, we loved the fact that we could disappear into a crowd or hunker-down into a corner at Crazy Mocha and laugh at each other until our lungs hurt. Yet, here in Sioux Falls, there is not "disappearing", no goofing off without fear of someone we know wondering what the heck we are doing laughing so loud the people around us have to turn up the volume on their iTouch's to hear the lyrics. I think that's one thing about living here that will take some getting used to, especially since Mary and I are in a little different situation than we were in while staying in PA: we are visible. We are visible just like the gaggles of ladies, and the studious college kids are here at Scooters. Just like I'm here at a different part of the day than I usually am, Mary and I have entered Sioux Falls at a different part of our lives than we were used to while in PA. It's that difference that keeps throwing me off every once and a while. It's the situation that we are in that has changed, and as a result, we must adapt to that change, i.e. remember that we are more visible. Usually, I'm the majority, but as I type my report on life's happenings, I'm starting to realize that here, in Sioux Falls, and especially during the day, I'm part of the minority, not the majority.