A QUIRKY GUY ON THE BUS

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A QUIRKY GUY ON THE BUS

A Quirky Guy on the Bus

The other day, a raggedy middle-aged man entered the bus and sat opposite me. He immediately rummaged through a large bag of newspaper clippings, official-looking documents, and photos. Whenever he picked up a particular item, he stared at it, patted it, grinned, affectionately mumbled, and placed it aside. He did so until the bag was empty. After he meticulously returned his stash to the bag, he quietly got off at the next stop.

I was touched by the man’s delight in his treasured horde. Especially during the pandemic, I privately spent days searching through piles of memorabilia (from stinging polemics to sentimental musings) with the same affection and devotion as the man on the bus who reveled in his paper trove.

If there is a fire or other emergency at my condo that requires me to evacuate the building, I will make sure to take with me every file that commemorates my past and the past of my family. Ah, nostalgia: It so often has nourished my soul.

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