Slice of Life, #12

            Dana’s post on the Slice of Life blog this morning about writing not what you see but what you hear, taste, smell, feel was inspiring. I’m a very visual person, learning mostly through my eyes, so this is a particular challenge for me. When I went out for errands this afternoon, I thought I’d try it.

            It was sunny, but windy. Wind gusts broke like surf, and I buried my face in my scarf. It buffeted me both front and back, especially as I crossed the streets that led toward Riverside Park. But it wasn’t cutting, as it is when the temperature is much colder. When the wind ebbed, the air was almost balmy, especially when I walked through small areas of sun. Stopping in a new bookstore, I was wrapped in warmth and quiet.

             Outside, car and truck engines grumbled and churned as they idled at red lights or turned off of or onto Broadway. Rich meat aroma from a halal food truck parked curbside enveloped me, rousing my olfactory tastebuds.

            A three-year-old girl with her hand in her mother’s was not happy about the weather. “Mommy, I want to go home,” she repeated many times, as they followed me for a couple of blocks. Another small child just cried. Wisps of voices from people passing in the opposite direction brought sound but no coherent sentences, except from one couple arguing. At least, she was yelling, “You got yours,” as they passed me, while he was silent.