Dead Guy in the Park

It’s times like these that I worry about not being very observant. Maybe I’m not paying enough attention to other people because I’m so caught up in my own life. I’m leaving for Finland in three weeks and I have so much to do before I take off. I’m not going to get my papers submitted, but I think I’ll finish everything else. Goodbyes take a lot out of me. I love a lot of people and I want to absorb them ALL before I go. I’ve been thinking about all of these goodbyes and how to be generous with my goodbyes instead of selfish. I want people to have fun goodbyes and not only sad, crying goodbyes.

This is what I was thinking about on my way to school this morning when I was walking through the park. I hopped onto the path, passed by the trashcan; the school was on my right; and then I came upon the bench. I’ve sat on the bench before, but I usually walk right past it. I didn’t sit on it yesterday because it was occupied. There was a young guy sleeping on it. It was a little weird because it was 8:00 in the morning and people usually take afternoon naps in the park, not morning naps. But he looked very peaceful, with his mountain bike propped up against the bench. He looked like a bicycle commuter guy, or a mountain biker.

Now THIS morning when I passed the SAME guy, sleeping there on the bench, I definitely thought it was weird... still looking peaceful, maybe even a little too peaceful. Was he breathing? I wanted to ask him if he was OK, but I was scared. There was no one around. I was afraid that he might either be angry at me when I woke him up... or worse: what if he didn’t wake up? I peered over him. He wasn’t obviously breathing. But maybe he was shallowly breathing. I once dated a serious cyclist, and he hardly breathed at all because he was in such good shape. He could also set off heart monitor alarms because he could actually make his heart beat so slow that the monitor would think he was dead.

This guy didn’t look dead. Wouldn’t he turn a funny color, or fall off the bench if he were dead? Someone besides me, who’s all distracted with her goodbyes, would surely notice a dead guy who’s been sleeping on the bench for at least a full 24 hours. We don’t have dead guys in Wallingford. Maybe in Capitol Hill or the U. District, but not Wallingford.

I walked down to the adjacent elementary school and caught up with one of the teachers there. I handed the issue off to her and continued on my way to school. She said she’d call the Parks Service or someone. I thanked her politely and quietly hoped that he wasn’t dead... and that he wasn’t almost dead yesterday morning. Shoot! I should have realized I thought he was dead yesterday! Then I could have saved him!

Maybe he’s just a mountain biker, who’s started taking naps on the bench in Wallingford every morning... with his bike uniquely propped up on its back wheel and his arms folded in exactly the same way, day after day. Maybe he wakes up at 4:00 am, rides up and down Queen Anne Hill five times, and then takes a nap... because he’s tired... because he’s training for the RAMROD... for next year. Boy, he’ll sure be surprised when the Parks Service wakes him up. Maybe he’ll write about it in HIS blog.