The People In My Neighborhood

Have I told you how much I love to spend my mornings in Starbucks, happily knitting away?  Well I do, and when the school year is over I'm really going to miss it.  As a natural introvert, you would think that I spend my time there plugged into my earbuds and ignoring all around me...but then you would be wrong.  One of my FAVORITE parts about my Starbucks experiences is that I've met a lot of wonderful people.  I thought I would take  a moment this morning to tell you about some of them. 

1. A carpenter/builder from the east coast, who's moved to mid-Mo to live with family.  Due to some medical issues he's struggled to find a job, but in our conversations he's shared a great appreciation for quality handwork and integrity of work.
2. A piano professor from a local university who's a lot of fun to talk to, and who approves of the methods our teacher is using with my children.  She's looking for a new home, and shared pictures with me of the possibilities.
3. Touching me deeply was a former pharmacist who had been left with a serious brain injury by an accident.  She was starting life anew, relearning things most of us take for granted.  I'm grateful that I was gifted with her friendship, and have learned many, many lessons from her.
4. A businessman who is lucky to have a friend who occasionally knits for him...and so appreciates people who do the same.  He's a regular, so I see him often and he always has a friendly word for people around him.
5. I visited one morning with a young minister who was just starting out and was in the process of building a new congregation. 
6. In a rather hilarious twist of fate, I got to know a young social worker/therapist....and eventually we figured out that her son and my daughter had crushes on each other.  Much laughing and telling upon our kids ensued.
7. Another businessman and his college age daughter who meet regularly at Starbucks for coffee together.  She's leaving in two weeks for a year in Japan and - as all good dads would - he's struggling with that a bit.  I want my girls to have that type of relationship with their dad.
8. Just recently I met a retired professor in costume design - also a member of my guild.  She was fascinating, and we spoke about sewing in great depth.  I really need to go to the regular guild meetings because I'd love to get to know her better.
9. I spent hours one day visiting with a lovely Muslim woman who grew up in Libya and came to our area by way of Egypt and England.  We spoke of family, god, beauty, education and our hopes and dreams.  I carry that conversation close to my heart.
10. I've become friends with 8 or so of the staff members, all of whom take customer service very seriously and are unfailingly positive with their customers.  People respond in kind, and business at that location has grown exponentially over the last year.
11. And there are countless others who just stop by for a moment to visit when they see what I'm working on.  Most have friends or family who knit, or knit a bit themselves, or at the very least appreciate handwork.  I never mind the intrusions, and hope that I've given them a bit of the sunshine they've given me. 

A little nice goes a very, very long way...and you just never know who you are going to meet if you keep your heart open to the experience.