Real life

Sometimes I don't know what I'm thinking. I was at my Spanish class tonight, and we were in Starbucks, and we had finished the class and I was just sitting and chatting with the teacher for a few minutes. We had just started into this deep conversation about life plans when suddenly the door burst open and a man ran in and started shouting and ran behind the counter and was knocking things over.
He was shouting that he'd been shot, and the girl behind the counter was trying to stop him from coming in and he ran towards the back of the store and was leaping around agitatedly. I jumped up (as did one or two other people) and my teacher grabbed his cellphone and dialed 911 and the man was shouting that someone was coming after him. The door burst open again and another guy started to come in but then seeing all the people he just swore at the first guy and threw something down on the floor and dashed out.
I was on my feet heading towards the first guy, my purse poised like a weapon. (I don't know what I was going to do, hit him with it? Use it as a shield?) He didn't have any weapons that I could see and he wasn't visibly hurt or bleeding, which was a relief because there's nothing worse than contemplating first aid on a crazy person that's twice your size.
The girl working there was telling him to leave and he was saying that he was being chased, and then he turned to me and asked, didn't you see that other guy?
Yes, I said. But he's gone now. I looked out the window to see if the other guys were waiting outside. Take a seat, she told him, we'll call the police.
No, don't call the police!
He weaved between the chairs, knocking them over.
To make a long story short, he eventually went out and the police arrived and things settled down, and I ended up sitting and chatting with my teacher and another man who heard us speaking Spanish and came over and wanted to talk to us. I understood about 50% because his accent was so strong, but I nodded along anyway.
I thought about the unfortunate incident as I watched the reflection of circling blue and red lights in the window. Life is not all safe and controlled, is it? When I'm in the hospital there is always a certain risk involved, but there are security guards, and I have tranquilizers to give if I have to, and I am prepared for people to flip out. I'm not prepared for a gun-wielding crazy man while I'm having a quiet coffee in Starbucks. It is a little unsettling.
But that's what life is like- only 100 times worse- for so many of the world, even many in our city. What if I had to fight for survival everyday? Sitting at home studying I feel so disconnected from reality. Real life is not neatly packaged like my textbook. Real life is not quiet and controlled and manageable. Real life requires much more courage and resilience and creativity. Real life is not safe, even if we think it is. But it is an adventure!