crazy wonderful life

I am amazed, lately, with how infinitely varied our lives are. I live in the same house with four other beings. Each of them, although we share many (or most) experiences, has their own thoughts, feelings, personalities - so different from mine that, were we to describe them, could easily be mistaken for different events. My focus or line of thinking will dictate how I view a particular event. Combine that with background, previous experiences, and personality and you have five vastly different experiences of the same happening. Very interesting. At the same time, I am noticing how very alike I am with someone of a completely different culture. I am in the middle of a really good book - a true story of a girl who grew up in China. She was born less than ten years earlier than me, so I am fascinated by her story. She lived in China - a place so very different than Canada. In China the idea of privacy is almost absurd. It doesn't exist. Neither does humour, as we know it. Suspicion and fear are commonplace and every action is monitered by someone. Petty theft is rampant. Of course, these are very sweeping generlizations, but compared to the life I have known, this is the way I view China. With all these differences, it is amazing how much I relate to this Chinese girl. Her hopes, dreams, feelings - all resonate with those same things in me. As I read her story, I feel I could almost be her. How is this possible? How can we all be so different, and yet so alike?! The more I learn about life, myself, others, the more I realize just how much God loves variety. Contrary to what many Churches would teach, God does not want us all to be the same. There is not ONE way to please Him or find Him or learn Him. There are as many as there are people. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. I'm just enjoying being part of this amazing life, learning about others and their individual stories that aren't so different from my own, afterall.
OK, here's a funny little story from my life. Yesterday, when I went into the gas station to pay for the gas I had put in my van, the girl asked me if I wanted a car wash. I was distracted and she had to ask me again. I said, "no thanks." But then I remembered a sign that I had noticed on the pumps indicating the car wash was out of order. I thought that maybe they had forgotten to take down the sign, so I said, "Ummm, there's actually a sign out there that says your car wash isn't working..." The girl looked at me, slightly annoyed, and said, "I still have to ask!" I was confused. I asked her, "What if I had said yes?" She replied very contemptuously, "It's good for three months!!" That was one crazy moment from my day yesterday. I love hearing other people's crazy moments. Share one with me if you have the time.