Larsen's Bakery—Crown Hill, Seattle, WA
My parents taught me at a young age to be kind to strangers and to be willing to offer a helping hand or a smile for those in need. I even remember walking around downtown Austin with my dad and he would stop and say hello to the homeless people along the streets and ask if they needed food and if they did, he gave it to them and would sit and talk with them for a little bit. I learned that sometimes, it’s actually okay to talk to strangers. Don’t get me wrong, you definitely have to feel out a situation, but now as an adult I feel more comfortable just easily striking up conversation with strangers. Yesterday, that came in handy as I was waiting for the bus.
I was in Crown Hill retrieving the power cord for my laptop (which I’d left behind at Westside) and headed to the bus stop near Larsen’s Bakery. I was standing at the bus stop eating some soup I had picked up from Metropolitan Market for dinner and an older woman came walking towards me. She was trying to throw a piece of break on the roof of the building behind us. I thought it was random and funny and every time she kept missing I just said, “Almost! You can do it!” She finally got it on the roof and said, “I’m sure some seagulls will come eat that up right away.” I mentioned to her that I’d almost forgotten that we had seagulls in Seattle and that even after living here for 3 years it was still surreal to me. That led to her asking about where I was from and basically got our conversation rolling for the evening. She then asked me what bus I was waiting for and where I had gotten my soup from. We shot the breeze for a bit and talked about stars, planets, shopping, music, and of course, the weather—mainly we talked about how we were both freezing cold while we waited for the bus. I checked my bus app on my phone to see when the bus would get there. When I saw that it wouldn’t be arriving for another 25 minutes, we decided to go inside Larsen’s Bakery and grab some coffee. So while I ordered coffee, she ordered tea, and we sat down and talked some more about faith, life, family, and things we enjoy about Seattle.
I know it probably sounds weird, but it was actually quite refreshing to just get to sit back, relax, and talk to a stranger. There were no pretenses, no expectations, just random conversation about everything and nothing. Eventually we got on our bus and went our separate ways, but my night seemed more meaningful and worthwhile. I’m glad I didn’t just ignore her. I’m glad I didn’t call someone to talk to on the phone as she moved closer towards the stop. I am glad I got to sit and listen to her story. I am thankful for the lessons I learned from watching my parents live their lives and for the opportunity to take advantage of those lessons when God brings people across my path.
amo.says 