Two very different slices of life

Often at the health club, I zone out and inhabit my own little world. Today, for some reason, I was more engaged with my surroundings and was eavesdropping. What I overheard reiterated how diverse my day-to-day is.

While dressing, I listened in on two big -- VERY BIG, like big enough to make me look slender -- young women discussing what a pain it is to bail someone out of jail. They make you wait forever, yet you can't smoke in there (nor in any public building in Illinois) nor use your phone -- not even to text!

Then while I was on the exercise bike, I heard two absolutely fantastically made up young women talking about refinancing their homes. They were breathlessly batting financial institutions and APRs back and forth as their feet spun round and round on the pedals.

I estimate all four women were about the same age (25 to 30), in the same health club, undoubtedly live and work within a half hour of one another, and yet lead completely different lives. My life is nothing like any of theirs. "There are nearly 3 millions stories in the Windy City ..."