Finished thoughts - DMV...

Okay, a week+ later but I finally have the head space to sit down and finish those "to be continued" thoughts from before.

I spent that early afternoon in the DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles). To be smart I went in at the middle of the day, middle of the month, middle of the week. My Australian license had finally expired so I had to renew my US license. Because of various reasons I was required to redo my written test, sign recognition test, and road test. I had finished all of my paperwork and the first two tests within a half an hour and was instructed to sit and someone would call me to administer my road test - to take approximately 20 minutes to complete. 90 minutes later one of the customer service reps asked me if I had lost my customer number or was waiting in vain. Overhearing that I had been waiting the whole time for something simple the manager realized that my semi-completed paperwork had been misplaced and no one knew I was waiting. With that said the road test took only 5 minutes and within a further 15 I was on my way - all legal and stuff.

The reason I call the DMV the great equalizer is because during my hour and a half wait I had time to observe several people come and go. Everyone has to go to the DMV, everyone who owns, drives, or hits a car does at least. There is no exemption because of your class, race, or weapon of choice. I witnessed the most striking disparity between two women at counters next to one another about half way through my wait. The first was a short south american woman with two sons (probably 10 and 12 years of age). She didn't speak english very clearly so the eye exam took a great deal of explanation. She had seen the flashing lights in the viewer but did not understand all that was required of her was to acknowledge that she could see them. When all was said and done her payment of 16$ was counted out in pennies and crinkled one dollar bills.

The woman to her left was a tall, lean, caucasion woman who had a scarf wrapped around her head under a canvas hat (presumably a cancer survivor or still in treatment). I was so distracted by the hubbub with her counterpart that I didn't hear exactly what her DMV task was but her payment was 1,091$ and she wrote a check without batting an eye and reflected that whatever the cost was it "was less than last year".

While sitting and waiting I had occasion to analyze the two women. The first was most probably an immigrant (but aren't we all), while her task was simple it was heavily complicated by the language barrier. But she was rich in beauty and had two children, at least. The second woman seemed to carry a strained contentment - as if her stature explained to the rest of us that "today is an okay day, it can be better but it can be worse". She was demur and friendly to the staff but seemed almost bored. The first woman laughed and spoke with her children while unattended and had an uncanny ability to convey what she was thinking with only the look in her eyes.

I am not passing judgement on either woman. Nor am I saying that one is of a higher class. These two women only act as an example that - perception is and isn't everything.