Those Little Encounters
Yesterday I had an encounter with a stranger that has left me thinking about it still today. It wasn't anything major, and I really don't know why I'm thinking about it. I do think, though, that something happened, something that I'm supposed to pay attention to, but again, just like I don't know why I'm still thinking about him, I don't know why I'm supposed to pay attention to my encounter with him.
All I was doing was getting coffee for me and my husband before we set off for a two hour drive to his mom's. As I stood at the counter, waiting for my husband's hashbrowns, I looked to my right. A rather tall, handsome man stood a foot or so away. He was dressed casually, in a fashionable athletic outfit, and he gave the impression that he knew what looked good on him. He had graying hair and a graying moustache. He was one of those guys that is aging really gracefully. He looked at me, and I mean really looked at me, not just this passing glance that so many of us give one another while in a public space. He then smiled and said hello, still holding eye contact. I wondered if he knew me somehow. I didn't recognize him as anyone I know, but he gave me the impression that I should know him. When the girl behind the register asked him what he wanted to order, he pointed to my large decaf and said, "Coffee that size." He then looked pointedly at me again, smiling like he and I were the only ones who understand what it means to need that much coffee. When I gathered up my coffees and hashbrowns, I turned to leave, and he again looked at me with that warm, I-know-you kind of smile on his face. I smiled in return, feeling the strangeness of the whole situation but at the same time feeling like I needed to know who he is.
Now I really would like to know who the guy is. The logical person in me, which is about 98% of who I am, knows how crazy it is that I'm thinking about him and wondering who he is. The logical person in me also realizes that my wondering is piqued by the license plate on his SUV: NHL HAWKS. Was he a former Blackhawks player? Did I miss an opportunity to really meet someone who played for the Hawks? If I did, stupid me. Stupid me for being the shy, introverted person that I am. If I had been extroverted, I would have just up and asked, "Do I know you?" But no. I had to just give my usual half smile and leave. And now I'll be wondering who the guy is for who knows how long.
Maybe the lesson here is that I need to be less introverted, that I need to look, really look, at those around me when I'm out. Perhaps as I'm being less introverted, as I'm really looking at the people I see in stores and restaurants, I'll see this guy again. If I do, I'm going to ask him who he is.
All I was doing was getting coffee for me and my husband before we set off for a two hour drive to his mom's. As I stood at the counter, waiting for my husband's hashbrowns, I looked to my right. A rather tall, handsome man stood a foot or so away. He was dressed casually, in a fashionable athletic outfit, and he gave the impression that he knew what looked good on him. He had graying hair and a graying moustache. He was one of those guys that is aging really gracefully. He looked at me, and I mean really looked at me, not just this passing glance that so many of us give one another while in a public space. He then smiled and said hello, still holding eye contact. I wondered if he knew me somehow. I didn't recognize him as anyone I know, but he gave me the impression that I should know him. When the girl behind the register asked him what he wanted to order, he pointed to my large decaf and said, "Coffee that size." He then looked pointedly at me again, smiling like he and I were the only ones who understand what it means to need that much coffee. When I gathered up my coffees and hashbrowns, I turned to leave, and he again looked at me with that warm, I-know-you kind of smile on his face. I smiled in return, feeling the strangeness of the whole situation but at the same time feeling like I needed to know who he is.
Now I really would like to know who the guy is. The logical person in me, which is about 98% of who I am, knows how crazy it is that I'm thinking about him and wondering who he is. The logical person in me also realizes that my wondering is piqued by the license plate on his SUV: NHL HAWKS. Was he a former Blackhawks player? Did I miss an opportunity to really meet someone who played for the Hawks? If I did, stupid me. Stupid me for being the shy, introverted person that I am. If I had been extroverted, I would have just up and asked, "Do I know you?" But no. I had to just give my usual half smile and leave. And now I'll be wondering who the guy is for who knows how long.
Maybe the lesson here is that I need to be less introverted, that I need to look, really look, at those around me when I'm out. Perhaps as I'm being less introverted, as I'm really looking at the people I see in stores and restaurants, I'll see this guy again. If I do, I'm going to ask him who he is.
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