This and that thoughts

   Driving around town this morning running errands, I was going gaga over how gorgeous the leaves have turned:  the reds were flaming bonfire embers; the golds glowed as if the sun was radiating from inside them; the oranges swayed in the breeze like juicy Florida oranges ripe for picking.  Then at a stoplight I took my sunglasses off to find something in my purse and noticed the colors didn't look nearly as glorious and vivid as they did with through my tinted lenses.  In fact, they looked downright dull.  At that moment I wished wearing my sunglasses all the time would make everything about life seem more spectacular and awe-inspiring.  There's probably a pill that will do that.  But it would probably cost a fortune and there's no telling what the scary side-effects might be.  I guess I'll just stick to wearing my sunglasses.
   Speaking of pills, one of my stops was at Planned Parenthood for birth control pills.  Sitting out front on a lawn chair was a senior lady, fingering her rosary beads with a large cross hanging down and twisting in the wind, having a stare-down with anyone going in the PP office.  I got out of my car expecting her to yell at me.  Or worse.  But she just moved her lips, maybe in silent prayer, and fingered those beads.  Instead of getting angry, I thought: Thank you senior lady for the prayers; I can sure use them.  Here I am a 49-Part Two year-old woman (I still refuse to acknowledge the big 5-0!), with no health insurance, and paying $30 bucks a month for birth control because I may or may not be in menopause but I'm not taking any chances.  Please, by all means, pray that menopause will finally have her way with me and I will no longer have to endure periods or cramps or buy costly birth control pills.  Pray that we will finally have true universal health coverage in this country and no one will have to go without and need to sneak into Planned Parenthood and endure your dagger stares just to get birth control or a gyno exam.  And when you're finished praying and staring me down, please put your sunglasses back on and enjoy the sun shining on the beautiful fall leaves.
   Maybe my sunglasses are helping me see the world differently already.