30 before 30: Conversation with a stranger

I needed some alone time today. It's been a go.

I took my dog and decided to eat my lunch at Arts in The Park, an hour of local music in a park over lunch; I knew I would know nobody there. And I was right, the music was lovely and the kids danced. It made me smile to watch them celebrate their innocent joy. As they always do. 

After the music was over I started to read my book, a random man asked me about my dog so we did that awkward small-talk thing about her not being good with the winter, etc. We ended up getting into an hour's length conversation about traveling, life and love. Neither of us knew what was happening in our own lives, but we knew we didn't belong in our current place. We both admitted that we needed to do some soul searching.

There is something beautiful about conversing with someone who doesn't know the other’s hurt, and being free to express yourself because you know in a few minutes you'll never see them again. It's liberating. It's educational. It's good to know you're not alone. It's humbling to realize across the table from you sits a man that has once walked the same path you're currently on. 

He made my large empty world feel smaller, more home-like.

(Not coffee with a stranger, but nonetheless, it was a good conversation)