Satisfaction brought it back

Today I realized that I no longer truly indulge my curiosity. Does this mean I'm officially old?

I'll look things up on line or pick up a book about an interesting subject, but when it comes to interacting with people, I am extremely reluctant to approach them and ask what I want to know. I distinctly remember my kids marching up to complete strangers and asking them extremely personal details. Not that I'm suggesting I would be a better person if I did the same as my toddlers had.

I'm an advocate of personal privacy, but it seems to me that there are certain situations in which it would be acceptable to pose a question or two.

Today there was a group of people protesting at the Citibank across the street from my office. I could hear their leader on the bullhorn, but I couldn't distinguish what he was saying. It happened at lunch time, so I easily could have walked over, read their signs, and asked them about their cause.

But because I am a creature of habit, I settled for snapping a quick photo, listening for a moment to try to catch their slogans, then slipping away to find a bite to eat. I had a notion that I might go talk to them on my way back to work, but they were nowhere to be found at that point.

It's so easy to let an opportunity slip away. I regret not yielding to that passing impulse that encouraged me to cross one more intersection. I hope that next time I will go those few extra steps. Would you?