Friends of Bill

Most of us are suspicious of middle-of-the-night activities. That’s particularly true when we’re streetdocking in an unfamiliar town. Is this place safe or sketchy?

Last night I was parked in front of a strip mall containing a martial arts school, an insurance office, a laundromat, a sign shop, a salon, and something with a sign too small for me to read from the street at night. A little after 2:00 AM I woke to the sound of vehicle doors slamming. About eight or ten pickups and a passenger van were clustered in front of the storefront on the end. Men were casually making their way to the building. What was going on? Was this the local gang hangout or something? Who meets at this hour?

Then it hit me. Oh, these guys are probably coming off a late shift somewhere and this is an AA meeting. Carry on folks.

My conclusion was strengthened this morning when I could read the sign. It’s a church’s community center.

Sometimes I might be too trusting, too optimistic, too certain everything is okay. Other times I might be freaked out for no reason other than my ability to imagine terrible things. Yes, there are dangers in the world, but not everything that goes bump in the night is dangerous. Sometimes it’s a good thing.