Stranger

It happened again.

Winding my way back through my neighborhood after having coffee with a friend and feeling a little spaced out, I managed to meet the gaze of a rough-looking man. He gave me a sly smile and said, "You're looking GOOD today."

My response got stolen by the bus roar as it pulled away from its stop. I said, "Thank you."

Later in the day I was hanging out over the phone with my good friend Holly. I was laughing about this story and how it is a very strange new form of attention in my life. She laughed with me, but also provided a helpful peek back into my younger days when I was a "hider."

I guess it's good to come out of hiding, even if it means I can simply accept a strange form of appreciation from a rough East Van character in my beautiful neighborhood. I guess it's good to fill out the space in which I live more fully, more wholly, and more surely. I guess it's good.