Today’s RDP prompt BALMY  made me think- where do crazy ideas come from and how do they get around? So I’m going to share a moment  from own life where a crazy idea got into my own head and what happened after it had been there for awhile.

Umberto Boccioni Dynamics of a woman’s head, 1914

I would not recommend taking to much in from a homeless person who is having mental health issues, but sometimes conversations  get into your head and sit in your skull and hide without you being aware of it.

Then one day those things sort of pop out and you might find yourself saying- whoa, where did you come from?

One day I was waiting for my bus and a lady wearing a Foghat concert t-shirt and sweatpants sat next to me on the bar that doubles as a bench.  Her shoes didn’t match  and they were missing their laces.

She did not smell good, but I’ve smelled worse and because she was quiet and her hands were folded in her lap so I let her be . I pretended to be reading my book, but really I had one eye on her.

She touched my shoulder and when I looked up she said carefully- like she was choosing each of her words very carefully, like her mouth was full of Novocaine.

” I saw the Devil a month ago. He was wearing red socks. If you see him get away from him as fast as you can. He can change his face but he loves those socks, so he never changes them. That’s how you will know him. ”

Then she stopped talking and she looked straight ahead.

Now when I bump into people who seem a little squirrely, a little sketchy, who get under my skin for no real reason I find myself looking  down at their feet and and I try to check out their socks-

And when their socks are red, I’m  not really surprised.

I’m not even surprised I looked.