Yesterday, as I was standing at the bus stop I got offered a JW tract by an older Witness woman. The tract was the dark one with a figure backlight by - the earth? - think it was called Will Mankind Survive? or something. I was completely taken by surprise and half laughed and said I didn't think I'd be interested while a million thoughts were shooting through my head - do I tell her I was a Witness, that I'm gay or bring up the UN. She was quicker than me, however, and immediately walked off without trying to counteract my 'conversation stopper'.
I watched her walk up the road, a woman in her early sixities clutching her small plastic folder of leaflets and I felt really sad. I felt sad for my Mum and brother who do the same work and have people continually rejecting them yet think they are doing something meaningful. And watching at her street witnessing it struck me how non-urgent it seemed. Those pathetic leaflets don't convey the immediacy of Armageddon. If she'd come round the corner with a placard, megaphone or sandwich board I'd have really believed that she thought it was the time of the end.
5 minutes later a pudgy teenager in a suit carrying a conveniently watchtower sized briefcase passed me, maybe there was a service arrangement being held nearby, and I had a brief 'Sliding Doors' moment where I wondered about what could have been my life today. Thank fcuk it's worked out the way it has!