obsessions

Every morning on my way to work, I pass two people who represent opposite ends of the obsession spectrum. A few miles from my apartment, I pass a guy who is always outside enjoying his 7am cigarette, regardless of the weather. Even in the rain, he stands in his driveway, shielding his lit cigarette with the morning paper, and puffs happily away. I often wonder whether he should be more concerned with lung cancer or pneumonia, but far be it from me to ruin anyone’s happiness by pointing out their impending death.

Further along in my commute I pass another guy who clearly has a more healthy obsession, because every morning I see this guy jogging all around the town. If I drive by at seven, he can be seen jogging past Eckerd on the main road. If I’m running late, I’ll usually see him jogging by the Krispy Kreme, five miles from where the Eckerd is. If I’m running EXTREMELY late, I can usually find him out near the library…which is practically in a whole different time zone from civilization.

The guy is always out running, each and every morning, in his tiny little jogging shorts and a muscle shirt that is five sizes too large and billows in the wind behind him…much like a parachute that can be seen behind drag racers once they’ve crossed the finish line. In fact, the guy is so very concerned about his health, that even during the winter, when the temperature is well below the freezing point, he’s out there running in his skimpy shorts and sagging shirt. Monsoon season came and went, and the man jogged right on through, splashing and wading through his daily routine.

And for the life of me, I simply cannot comprehend the will power and sheer dedication it would take to be this obsessed about something. Whether it be jogging or smoking, at some point I would reason that it’s either too cold, early, dark, or wet, and simply give up and find a new hobby. And every single morning, as I head into Starbucks to get my morning mocha café latte with a shot of espresso and sugar, I feel grateful that I don’t have some type of obsessive compulsion like these two weirdos do.

Because coffee is clearly not an obsession but a necessity.