peach city, peach state

allow me to preface this post by saying the following story is entirely true.

when zach is at work or class and i take mcclain and macy on a walk by myself, i usually tuck clain into his baby bjorn and leash macy, rather than attempting the herculean task of walking four miles with dog and stroller.  having mcclain in the bjorn means i don't necessarily have to walk on the sidewalk and that i am free to take routes involving stairs.

recently, i was cutting across the side lawn of our loft - because no stroller means i can do that! - with clain in the bjorn and macy trotting alongside us.  all of a sudden, someone says, "well hello there!"

there was no one in sight.  i stopped for a moment but assumed i was overhearing a conversation through an open window.

"i said 'hello there'!"

there was still no one in sight. i dropped Macy's leash and wrapped my arms around mcclain. 

"i didn't mean to scare you."


still no one in sight.

and then some strange instinct drew my eyes up and there, at 7:15 am, in the crotch of a tree, was a man wearing chaco sandals and entirely black clothing.   

he proceeded to ask me if there was anyone beneath the tree (this struck me, somehow, as odd: i don't feel that "beneath" is often used conversationally) and whether or not it was safe to climb down.  i told him to climb on (on belay?  belay on.  climbing? climb on.) we made small talk for a few minutes as he climbed down and then parted, my trio headed one way and he headed another. 

the next morning, as i was pulling out of the bass parking lot on my way to the pediatrician, I noticed my chaco-wearing friend below the variety playhouse marquee: he was stuffing a bedroll into his backpack. he looked up, saw me and waved.

atlanta is no new york city, but it is a place to which people from other, smaller cities and towns journey.  atlanta is a cosmopolitan city in its own right, and there are so many people venturing here to "live the dream"!  i hope, for my friend in the tree, with his bedroll and his determination, that he finds what he's looking for here in this peach of a city!