Rocky Ridge

The wall next to my desk at work is basically a large window, which looks out over our parking lot, and our neighbors parking lot. Our neighbors are Rocky Ridge Drinking Water Limited. All day long people come and go, filling up their 18L and 11L bottles with spring water, distilled water, reverse osmosis water. From time to time something amusing happens in the parking lot. Several times a day someone attempts to carry more than is manageable, and they tend to drop one or several empty bottles on the pavement. It's a very distinct sound. I've only ever seen one person drop a full bottle. They just stood there watching the water flow to the drain in the middle of the parking lot, with a look of disappointment on their face.

In the winter, on an icy day, I watched an old man fall, in what seemed like slow motion. I felt so helpless, sitting here in my office. I could yell and warn him of the icy patch. I could help him across it. I couldn't tell him to sit in his car while I get the water for him. A fellow customer helped him to his feet, brought him in the store and sat him down on a chair while the staff looked after him. He walked out to his car on his own later, and seemed ok. My grandfather recently broke his leg falling in a parking lot, and that was the first thing I thought of when I saw him fall. It was horrible to watch.

This morning, in the midst of my stress at work, I looked out to see a guy, about my age, carrying his jug of water back to his car. He had his daughter with him. She must have been about 3 or 4 years old. She was happy, carefree, dressed in pink, with a princess dress. It looked like she was holding a toy wand, with sparklers on it. She was twirling around, dancing, and it looked like she was singing a song. It brought a smile to my face. I felt my stress dissipate as I reflected on life and specifically the life of that child. She's content with her toy wand, imagining she's a princess, spending time with her dad. It allowed me to take a step back from my work, and realize that though the deadlines loom, and the work needs to be done, and I've got responsibilities, life is to be enjoyed, and lived.

Thanks Rocky Ridge.