I walked to the bus stop at 12:45 a.m. A woman sat down next to me, makeup neatly placed and a large bag at her side. She got up and walked to the street, looking for a bus in site, but there was none. She sat back down and picked up two pennies off the ground and said "good luck, yah?" And I explained the whole "the penny has to be heads-up" thing. She smiled and nodded, and I couldn't figure out if she spoke English fluently. She talked about how Lincoln was her favorite president -- her mother's favorite president. Then she said she wanted to buy a tie with Mr. Lincoln all over it, because, well, he was her favorite.
We sat in silence for a few minutes and then a guy rode by on a motorcycle and just as he got to us did a "no hands" stunt and waved goodbye. She said "your friend?" and I, of course, had no clue who the guy was, but it made my night. We sat some more and then she asked the most random question, "What church do you go to?" I smiled and said, "I go to synagogue, I'm Jewish." She looked uncomfortable for about five minutes, and then said "Jews believe kind of like Jesus, right?" And then I explained the fundamental bit about Jews and Jesus. Then she said "but they're not that different, right?" And we talked about the similarity of our G-d. Then, right before the bus arrived, she said "Judaism was the first, yes? Then Christian and Muslim?" I smiled, said yes, and to have a good night. I got on the bus and as we pulled away, I waved, and she smiled and waved back.
It's the simple moments I appreciate, and this woman made me smile. I was worried about sitting at the bus stop alone, but thankfully this woman was there. I wanted to ask her what she did and why she was out so late, but I didn't. We had our motorcycle man and our talk about our respective faiths. These are the people and things we overlook. I, however, sit and wait for these things. Because they make me breathe slower and enjoy life more.
We sat in silence for a few minutes and then a guy rode by on a motorcycle and just as he got to us did a "no hands" stunt and waved goodbye. She said "your friend?" and I, of course, had no clue who the guy was, but it made my night. We sat some more and then she asked the most random question, "What church do you go to?" I smiled and said, "I go to synagogue, I'm Jewish." She looked uncomfortable for about five minutes, and then said "Jews believe kind of like Jesus, right?" And then I explained the fundamental bit about Jews and Jesus. Then she said "but they're not that different, right?" And we talked about the similarity of our G-d. Then, right before the bus arrived, she said "Judaism was the first, yes? Then Christian and Muslim?" I smiled, said yes, and to have a good night. I got on the bus and as we pulled away, I waved, and she smiled and waved back.
It's the simple moments I appreciate, and this woman made me smile. I was worried about sitting at the bus stop alone, but thankfully this woman was there. I wanted to ask her what she did and why she was out so late, but I didn't. We had our motorcycle man and our talk about our respective faiths. These are the people and things we overlook. I, however, sit and wait for these things. Because they make me breathe slower and enjoy life more.