The city of Dreams

If new York is the city that never sleeps, Los Angeles is the city that dreams. Daily reminders of the normal are forgotten. No one is normal, but here, everyone knows it.  Based on different neighborhoods there is architecture and streets that resemble every city in America. It is as if a little piece of every state, foliage and all, were all collected here in the Birth of the City of Dreams.  Just by looking at the trees, you can feel like you are in another state, maybe because Los Angeles is like every state, and is collected of the most individualistic people of the great 50 states this country is made of. But do not be mistaken, there are the "lost" as well. With the recent economy there have been certain occasions where we meet with the bottle collectors.  Unlike Miami, where I once dwelled, the bottle collectors here, are a lot like angels. And they work hard. Here me out. In Miami, most that I saw talked to themselves and lived in alternate realities where I would try to join to ask why they were not in a shelter or getting the help they could. Here in LA, collect recylebles on each street as early as 4 a.m. to get bottles, cans. Do not be mistaken some do talk to themselves and are like the miami street dwellers. But more often they are hard working bottle collectors.  I have had one man follow me up the street to give my little Morgan her hat back that she threw on the street and I did not notice. We since have started separating our recyclables for them and leave them out to help their work a little. The other day there was a mexican woman with her grandson working hard to collect. Thanking me for the bottles. I only wish she could get all our bottles but we never know when she will be by. Here in LA you can really make some money collecting cans and bottles, and most collectors have a way to carry hundreds of pounds of recycles. Ugly carts yes, but at least they are working for something instead of begging.  A sweet man told me the other day that he had 5 children and was down on his luck, but tried to help me carry my stroller up to my door even though he looked like he did not have the strength.   Another we smiled to on our to  the park. I felt a breeze of peace as he walked past us. It was as if he was watching over us.  This city of Dreams surprises me daily...