Windswept.  After fierce winds screeched through the Foothills last night, the detritus of countless porches, patios and driveways lay strewn across the lawns.  Chairs were upside down.  Grill lids lay yards from their rests.  Plants had been pulled from their pots.  Building materials sat far from all projects.  Mayhem.

But even with all of that, the most remarkable thing was that most of the world looked unaffected.  The houses still stood with their roofs and windows intact.  Cars sat without tree limbs poking from the windshields.  Small animals and children were safe indoors.

So, the wind came and shook things up, but once again, the world has righted itself.

On my walk today I came upon two things that surprised me. One was a pair of shoes, perfectly good just lying in the grass beside the sidewalk; the other was a full glass of water sitting atop an electrical box next to the sidewalk.

What could have led to these things being left as they were? Was someone suddenly struck by the urge to go barefoot such that he shed his shoes and ran on? The shoes didn’t appear to have been fouled in any way, say by having stepping in dog doo. There were no socks. We can only speculate…

And the glass of water, well, I don’t know either. It looked like a clean glass taken straight from someone’s kitchen, though none were close by. Cool, refreshing and inviting, I can imagine it looking like a treasure to some hot and thirsty soul on a different day. Again, we can only speculate…

Isn’t it fun to wonder just why things might be out of place?