It’s amazing how fast the brain is. A whole universe can be imagined in a thought. You look at your watch, and almost no time had passed at all.

I arrived for my appointment at the Artful Dodger early, and sat outside in the sun on a bench next to a tree, just off Yonge street in  busy downtown Toronto. It’s not quite a park, but the area is a pretty walking path, just behind the main row of commerce buildings. It’s a place where people walk home from shopping or work, or take their dogs out for their afternoon pee.

I sit on the bench watching; observing everyone, including drug deals, conversations with strangers, and casual strolls. The demographic ranges from rich to poor to homeless, both pretty and ugly, old and young.  Almost every is thin. Nobody is fat. At least in this area, people walk.

I imagine all sorts of back stories. I watch, observe, and make things up.

Then I look at the clock, and only 2 freaking minutes have passed.

Repeat.