vets

today i saw a weirdly awful scene. this morning, downtown near my office, there was a fat man in a wheelchair. visibly clean and cared-for looking. with right leg, missing below midcalf but fully healed, hanging over the arm of the chair. and left leg, foot heavily bandaged and, disturbingly, without toes. he was bent over, pulling some fresh, clean bandages off his left shin. he seemed to have the situation under control, and didn't even look crazy - despite being in the middle of the frigging sidewalk on pennsylvania ave. through my training with j, i started diagnosing (which for me means making up stories): vet, alcoholic, diabetic. i know it's a downer, but it's one of those pictures i have stuck in my head.