Donkeys, parking spots and understanding cultures

This morning on my run, I ran into "picture perfect" moments that I believe illustrate why I love to travel. The first, I was running past the local supermarket chain when I saw a donkey "parked" outside. I don't run with my glasses on so I had to get fairly close to confirm it was, in fact, a donkey and not a horse. Sure as shootin'....it was a donkey parked on the Main Street that runs along the beach. For me, it was a "fun" discovery. I would never imagine that I'd see a donkey on my morning run. Fast-forward a few blocks....I'm finishing my run and there on a side street that leads to the main entrance of the beach was a parking spot being saved by buckets. I know this routine because in Chicago, we do the same thing with freshly shoveled parking spots. People break out the brooms, chairs and whatever else they can find to ensure that some bum doesn't take their spot after they spent an hour cleaning it out. It then dawned on me, these two incidents really are an excellent metaphor for people in general. No, I'm not going to say what you might think (although it is a coincidence I didn't think about before...hmm..donkeys and jerks that want your parking spot. There is a connection!). What I was referring to is that while we may have differences...some may take a donkey to work while others the "A train" and others their Vespa, we have more in common than we think such as saving our parking spots with whatever domestic items we can find. So, next time you're quick to say "Ah,those guys are strange because....." Remember, we probably have more in common than you would expect.