Embracing the Positive

Riding my bike around town recently, I got to thinking about something my friend Jackie said a few months ago regarding an entry I'd written about some peculiar characters I'd encountered on the streets and subways of New York. She questioned whether I'd find characters worthy of mention in the "sticks" of northern California?

Well, Jackie, lucky for me (and my readers), nutjobs are everywhere! Like San Francisco and NYC, Arcata has its fair share of homeless people, though here, most are content to loiter on the Plaza, which is Arcata's version of Washington Square Park. A number of Arcata's down-and-out are dreadlock-sporting, Birkenstock-wearing, hacky-sack playing youth who ask passersby not for spare change, but for vegan foods or help paying for medical visits or to care for their various pets. On a visit here last summer, my sister and I took boxes of leftover food from a brunch the morning after our brother's wedding and distributed muffins, croissants and bagels to a hungry and incredibly grateful crowd. In turn, we were ensured we'd be blessed, that Buddha would shine down on us, that our karma and chakra and chai and feng shui were all secure.

A sometimes fiesty but typically affable Vietnam veteran by the name of Alfred holds court on a busy Northtown corner, holding up ragged pieces of cardboard scrawled with black marker, a different message each day, ranging from simple ("Peace" or "Help Me") to more thought-provoking anti-war or authority-questioning messages. Al has apparently been in town for a number of years and is notorious among residents for occasionally flipping off and/or shouting at passing drivers. Though he ostensibly has no known place of residence, Al tends to show restraint when it comes to handouts. My sister-in-law recently had lunch in a sandwich shop nearby and bought some extra food for Al, who politely declined, saying something to the effect of "No thanks, I've already eaten today" and then, sensing Erin's disappointment and not wanting to let her down, pointed out that his birthday was a few days away and he'd fancy a treat then.

Another popular local is an upbeat, dreadlocked brother who goes by the name Positive (which comes out of his mouth sounding like pohs-ee-teeev). Positive walks around town with a mangy, friendly mutt and boombox, grinning like a Cheshire cat, sporting as colorful a get-up as humanly possible (Missoni would be jealous), accepting food and requests to pet his dog, all the while loudly reminding everyone he encounters to "Stay pohseeteev, mon!"

Those are just the a few of the local characters I've happened upon in my brief time here. There are countless others, each of whom I'd be delighted to profile here once I've made their acquaintance. Not counting, of course, the arrogant owner of a local record store or the woman who allowed her puny little daschund to bite my right leg twice. In my fervent effort to bar evil from my life, I elect not to make the acquaintance of people who are on my shit list despite not having formally made their acquaintance.

Lastly, speaking of keeping pohseeteev, I've taken to swimming several days a week and one of the instructors at the local pool encourages swimmers, myself included, to utter quiet affirmations, such as "I love myself. I accept myself exactly as I am at this moment. I accept myself completely." While I certainly appreciate her efforts, I can't help but snicker to myself when makes her way round the pool, conducting one of her affirmation-eliciting endeavors. I suppose that's just the kindergartener in me. Will I ever silence her completely?

Hmmm... I certainly hope not.

Posted by ayelet at April 7, 2004 10:37 AM