DailyThought #31 - Sit Down With Me

I was eating at a park in Asheville, North Carolina, today, and a lady sat next to me. At first, I was a little nervous; I did not know who she was and she acted unwell. Her clothes were stained and dirty, her big smile presented chipped and brown teeth, and her gazed twitched from side to side, almost as if she was looking for something or someone. Once we both settled in a little, I asked her if she is from the area and if she liked it. She took a moment, then responded, then zoned out again. She said, “Sorry, it’s hard having multiple conversations at the same time. Six is too many.” I asked her if these conversations were good or bad and she said, “All conversations are good. Just some are hard to have.” Then she looked off again and started to tend to another conversation. I was trying to imagine the chaos going on in her head compared to mine. And I couldn’t.

But, I could tell she was used to have conversations. She was easy to talk with and got straight to her points. Not rude, disrespectful, or judgmental, just honest and genuine. It’s hard to get mad at that.

All I could think of during our time together is how overwhelmed constant conversation would be, but also how much perspective she must have. While I watched her talk with others I could not see, I could tell they were conversations of weight and importance to her.

Where Ya Been? by Luke Bell