Mean People

Years ago Steve and I were walking on Astor Place in New York when a man came up to me and asked if I wanted to buy this sticker. With no hesitation I did. When I lived in California I would not have thought of desiring something with such a sentiment. But the years spent on the East Coast have hardened my sensibilities, something of which I am not proud. Before she passed away my octogenarian friend Ella would say "nice is not enough." She also killed a defenseless chipmunk with a shovel when it wandered into her garage. ("It was vermin.") I disagree, not about the chipmunk, (for Ella's action I condemn), but with her statement of being nice. I don't find many people here that are. The conditions around us do not allow the attribute to be readily accessible and our "default" is meanness.