I had one of those random conversations with a stranger that was most pleasant. I was looking for Mother's Day gifts, and the store I was aiming for was closed, so I wandered into a shoe store and came out with a pair of tennis shoes for me, but still nothing for gifts. I stood outside a store with miscellaneous stuff, but it made my mind jumble, then strolled down the street to a lingerie shop that had a sale rack outside. I picked through it and found pjs for one gift, then decided to go for it and picked another set. When I went inside the clerk offered to wrap the gifts, and that thrilled me. No stop for gift bags. We got to talking about, well, yes, underwear, a subject on which I found I had strong opinions. I also described the tastes of the gift recipients, and she offered her views on underwear and took me back in the store to show me her favorite pjs. She was probably in her early thirties, and I felt a motherly connection to her, as she was the age of my younger daughter.
I watched her wrap, completely focused on her skill and the way she had precut ribbons for each box at the beginning of the day for just such a need, and therefore was as swift as a fairy. I deeply appreciated that skill. I do not have the ability to wrap well, and I do admire those who do. It was as if she was giving me a mini vacation from buying wrap and executing it. I thanked her profusely.
What a nice encounter, and though the talk was not of politics or the world situation, it was of the sublimely ordinary, and over it, we became visible to each other.
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