I’m pretty sure every town has one or has had one at one time or another.
I’m talking about the person I call the “Wanderer.”
This is someone who just wanders — all day it seems.
We have a person in my neighborhood who just seems to wander. You could say she just goes for a walk every day but it never looks like she has a destination. She just wanders. And it doesn’t seem to matter what the weather is.
I’m fascinated by these people because I find myself with so many questions:
Were they always this way? If not, what happened to cause it?
Where do they live? What do they do for money? Where’s their family? Is there a spouse or significant other?
And, most importantly, what are they thinking about as they wander?
I’ve passed this woman often as I’m out walking the dog. Sometimes I just nod or wave but I never really get a response. One time I said, “Hi,” but there was no reply.
What goes on in their mind? I’m sure if I look hard enough online there must be some study or article that explores this.
I was thinking today that, in some ways, they may have it better than us. They don’t seem to be bothered by the stress we put on ourselves. It’s possible they don’t worry about the things we worry about because they just seem to take it all in stride. Just deal with what’s right in front of you.
I don’t mean to make light of mental health issues if that’s, in fact, what we’re dealing with here. I’m just curious because everyone has a story and they must have an interesting one.
I just wonder about the Wanderer.
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