I’ll have what she’s having

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

I had to ponder on this for a minute. The only things that came to mind initially were strangers that annoyed me. I couldn’t think of anything positive.

Like the girl that came up to me one evening as I was walking around downtown. I had just grabbed a latte from the local coffee shop and on my way to the new record store (yes, they sell vinyl!). She comes up to me, and excitedly says something about how she felt compelled to tell me that Jesus loved me.

“Thanks?” I replied, and kept walking. Look, I have no beef with Big J. I go to church. I don’t need to be “saved” so it’s a bit annoying when a complete stranger makes assumptions about me. If God was telling her to approach me, she needs to find a new one. 😂

I know what it is, though. I was born with resting bitch face. Some people have this delusion that I am somehow unhappy. Some go a step further with a delusion that a spiritual intervention will make me happy. Sorry, wrong on both counts.

OK, but this is supposed to be about positively,  and I do have one, but there’s not much to it.

When my mom was nearing the end of her life, she stayed at a rehab facility after being released from the hospital.  Actually, there was a LOT of shuffling back and forth between the two.

One of those times, she was assigned to a room with a younger woman. By younger,  I mean younger than my mom. It was difficult to tell how old this woman was. Her face had no discernable wrinkles. Her pallid complexion and bald head made her look older and told the story of an aggressive chemo treatment. Her expression, though, emoted tranquility and wisdom.

I never interacted with her much. We would say polite hellos as I entered the room. I feel like she may have said something nice about mom, like that she enjoyed talking to her, but I can’t recall exactly. In my head, I called her Buddha Lady.

I would sit with mom and talk, but my gaze would often wander to her curious roommate. I’d watch her interact with her friends and family.  She always looked happy and content. She radiated an aura that I couldn’t see, but being in her presence made me feel calmer. I thought I was imagining it, but I said something to my sister one day, and she admitted she caught the same vibe.

I don’t know what happened to her. Mom and the Buddha Lady weren’t roomies for long. My mom suffered a mild heart attack and was taken back to the hospital. 

I still think of her from time to time. While my guess is that she was in the phase where she had accepted that her life was coming to a close, I like to think that she recovered. Somewhere, she is alive and still happy, spreading her good Buddha vibes and “resting happy face” wherever she goes.

I wonder if I could ever develop resting happy face. If nothing else, it would keep strangers from bothering me. 😉