THE INNER WORKINGS...

street-corner inspiration

The marvels of capitalism are at work on every street corner of this great land of ours. Case in point: There are at least twenty people in the small town of Fallbrook that hold a very innovative occupation. What is their line of work? To give guidance. Instruction. Direction. Why should their work merit our attention? Because they do so with large painted arrows. Yes, every weekend these inventive laborers migrate in throngs to our handful of large intersections wielding arrows that point in the direction of the plethora of new housing developments. Looking for Peppertree Park's new "upscale" subdivision? Look for the guy who appears to be bored-out-of-his-mind twirling a green arrow. Wanting to tour a model home at Willow Creek? Look no further: let the lovely beige arrow lead your way. In my opinion, it's not a bad way to make a living. Think about it: one can enjoy the fresh air with little physical exertion and even less mental strain, all the while jamming to the ipod. And get paid for it to boot. I tell you... the wonders of this economic system of ours never cease to amaze me.

There is one footnote that I feel is important to make: With said employment, one has the potential to influence a culture's perspective and/or attitude. One day my mom and I were at a stoplight in La Jolla, and on the corner nearest us was a girl with a big arrow. But this was no hum-drum, let-me-twirl-this-arrow-and-get-out-of-here job to her. This was her way to express to the world who she really was. Arrow in hand, this woman was declaring that she loved life. And that she loved to dance. She was royally rocking-out to the music blasting through her earphones, causing the arrow to dance along with her. I was mesmerized. I kept smiling at her hoping that she'd look over before the red light changed to green so that I could give her a knowing wink, saying, "Keep making the world smile, girl. Stellar work." But she didn't look over, and so, sadly, I didn't have the opportunity to affirm her life's work. But sometimes when I'm down I still think of that girl dancing with the arrow, and suddenly I perk up. Rock on, arrow-girl. Rock on.

posted by Courtney @ 3:17 AM