meeting new people

i would say most of us stay with in our comfort zone of engaging only with people we know and perhaps those with in the small group of who we do business with - the bank teller, the store teller...you get the idea. some of us take it one step further and smile and offer a greeting to a passerby. me, i like to know the people that i don't know. 

last week i helped a client de-clutter her home and in the process put free items out on the side walk.  one lady who seemed homeless arrived with a giant recycling bin on wheels to cart away some treasures. we chatted about how she wanted to sell the items to make some money. i told her how smart i thought she was using the recycling bin on wheels. my client on the other hand stayed in her apartment and told me how impressed she was with our conversation. 

then yesterday afternoon i had the opportunity to meet cynthia. i was heading in to a local cafe for a cup of coffee and cynthia was standing next to the front door asking for a dollar for a cup of coffee. i asked her if she really wanted a cup of coffee and she assured that is what she wanted. i told her i would be happy to buy her a cup along with my own. hey, if i can go out and buy a cup of coffee i can certainly extend the offer to someone else. she hesitated as if to wait outside and i asked her to come in with me. once inside i introduced myself, asked her name and shook hands. i told her that her hands felt warm so she must have a warm heart...a smile appeared on her face. she complimented me on my soft skin. i then shared with her that i was just in a shop next door where you can sample the lotions. it is amazing the things that privileged people get to do. i can walk into a shop and sample lotions and others can't get access to a bathroom. i guess that is another story. anyway, cynthia then after placing the orders she asked me if i would still give her a dollar, in addition to the coffee...yes, of course! so after we got our hot yummy drinks, i gave her some cash and we said our good byes. i offered to hold the door for her on the way out but she decided she would sit at a table.  she was now a customer and could sit at any tablet.  cynthia sat downi noticed that it was relatively close to where another gentleman was sitting. hmmm...what will he do? will he say something about her sitting to close? funny enough, i felt protective of my new friend. well it seemed almost instantly that they started to talk. to him maybe she was just another person having a cup of coffee on a saturday afternoon. 

so what's the purpose of all this? i don't know. i do know that i am very blessed and i am reminded that sometimes it can be just a small gesture like a cup of coffee and 5 dollar bill to make a person feel seen and connected. 

cheers.