Panara Woes

So, I'm sitting here at Panera bread (eating a delicious souffle.. shameless plug, I know..) and there is this woman wandering around the establishment talking LOUDLY into her bluetooth earpiece. She's explaining to someone about how, "she's not going anywhere, she just wants a passport." She then proceeds to tell the person on the other end of the phone (and the rest of the Panera bread patrons,) about how she "is a very ambitious woman!" She doesn't need to be going anywhere to have a passport, she just wants to have one, that way if something ever comes up, she'll just be able to go!

I guess I could admire that, what should I call it, foresight? to realize that there COULD be the potential of a trip in the future, so JUST IN CASE, I'll be ready for it.

Interesting. (I won't even go into the rest of her conversation, about why the person she was talking to really hurt her feelings last night...etc.etc. Not that I could, really, because at that point she walked out of the restaurant, because apparently the people outside were better suited to witness that part pf the conversation then us uppity "Panera Bread" types..)
I say interesting, because my first thought was annoyance. I really don't care about your need for a passport. I instantly judged her, thinking she was parading about for attention and status, because CLEARLY if you have a Passport, then you surely are an influential person!

I remember when I got my first passport. I was 12. My dad told me that it was a very important thing. I felt good about myself.

At any rate, someplace in my ponderings, I thought about a quote my friend Anna told me one day. I don't know if she coined this phrase or not, but she said once that the United States would be a very different place if we had more stamps in our passports.

I tend to agree with her.
Please forgive the no-linear train of thought... I have some artwork I need to finish.