Thinking Less

I keep trying to write a posting about sharing and how people that have a lot seem to share less than people with very little, but I can not write it...

Tonight, I had just finished supper with my daughter and her boyfriend in downtown Minneapolis. I took them to a very friendly, smallish part of the city. We were walking down a street I am familiar with when I remembered a wonderful Ukrainian restaurant that was nearby. The restaurant often has live folk music from eastern Europe. I convinced my daughter and her boyfriend to come with me down the street a little further.

There happened to be a band playing. A rather large band (about 20 people). As soon as I stepped into the restaurant, I noticed a very beautiful woman playing some sort of strange stringed instrument.

As soon as I saw her, even before I could think about doing anything (or about not doing something) I found myself eagerly waving and warmly smiling at her like she was a close friend not seen for a long while. The wave and smile just popped out of me. I had not planned or even thought about it. It was completely impulsive and wonderful -- I have always wanted to be the type of person that did that type of thing but was always thinking so much that it never happened.

And guess what: she smiled back -- in that happy, sweet, slightly embarrassed way.

The place had a very warm feeling, and as I looked around, many people warmly smiled back at me (my heart was leaping). I felt so in touch with myself and my own joy. It was like the feelings I had while being in small towns in Nepal or China.

The music was great and we stayed as long as my daughter and her boyfriend could stand it. As we walked away from the restaurant, we happened to pass by the window that was just behind the band. The beautiful woman with the strange stringed instrument came to the window and smiled at me again, in a brave, happy way.

Now, her smile keeps bumping into my thoughts.

There will be no Peace Corps-type posting tonight, because my thoughts have been hijacked by a smile from beautiful woman with a strange stringed instrument.