You Have A Nice Face…

Do you ever get approached by strangers?

I do.  All the time.  Apparently, it’s because I have a nice face.

When I was like seven to twelve years old it was babies that L-O-V-E-D me.  Apparently in my twenties it is the geriatric set.  Today, I was on my way from the museum back to my office which are several blocks apart when a woman, who I later learned was 80+ years old, called to me from a car parked at a meter.

Generally, a good rule of thumb is “do not talk to strangers,” especially when they are in their cars.  But I threw caution to the wind and went over to her.  She asked me to identify the North building of the Denver Art Museum, which I did, and then she asked what the Denver Public Library building was, which I explained in addition to a few other nearby buildings.

She explained that she was waiting for a good friend of hers who was in the museum, but unfortunately she could not go in because she was on oxygen.  She then noticed that I worked at the museum (the green lanyard is a dead give away) and asked me if I could grab her a brochure.  So I went in, picked up one of each pamphlet for her and returned.

This is where it got interesting.

After I came back we started to talk.  We talked about politics, politicians, and “Chicago Politics,” in addition to abortion, education, children, midwestern work ethic, art, down syndrome, France (I swear, she brought it up first!), DU, Cornell, education, health, cooking, and so many other things that I now can’t remember.  It was refreshing to talk to someone who had so much knowledge and experience who was still coherent.  By the time my grandparents reached their eighties, they really weren’t talking much.

I talked to this old woman next to her car for probably 35 to 40 min.  Here is the best part: she gave me her phone number and wants me to come by sometime for a sandwich!

I’m not going to lie, at first I was a little anxious to get away from her because I needed to get back to work, but at the same time she was entirely endearing.  I grew so fond of her in that short bit of time.  She wanted to share her wisdom and her years with me.  I really appreciate everything that she had to say.

In the end, it is situations like this one that make someone’s day.  I hope I made her day a little brighter by stopping to talk to her, because that is what she did for me.

Go out and make someone happy today, because that is what life is about, sharing (joy, wisdom, love) with others.

xxo