I confess to really enjoying having random conversations with people I don’t know. Chance encounters with people almost always interest me. Generally, these are direct conversation I specifically have with a person I don’t know. But, sometimes, because of circumstances, these random conversations are conversations between other people that I overhear–not because I’m intentionally eaves dropping, but because the conversation finds its way to me over the surrounding hubbub of life. Frequently, these take place in restaurants where the tables are entirely too close together, and last night was one such random conversation.
Interestingly, while having dinner last night in the only Mexican restaurant in our rotation (where the service and food are always fantastic), I had a very unsettled feeling. A sense of peril might too strong a description, but something (I didn’t know what.) was just very unpleasant to me. Moments later, I understood why. My attention focused on the very clear conversation of the middle aged couple at the table across from us.
The woman did all of the talking. She was not raising her voice at all, but she was a constant fountain of vitriolic hatred. In her face was permanently etched years of anger and meanness. Her words and her sneering scowl were just withering.
I got the sense that this was a discussion about the divorce–that they really were no longer together at this point and were just meeting at the public restaurant. Thankfully, most of the conversation I couldn’t understand. I won’t repeat any of what I did clearly hear her say as it was just too negative, and I do believe in karma.
So, to break my superstitious negative karma spell, today I choose to celebrate the joy of these random conversations: Bee, the Whale Mother, the Frizzy headed guy who stood very tall down by the Golden Gate Bridge and had a simultaneous frizzy yet calm energy about him, the Marine Mammal Veterinarian who declares that the Golden Gate Bridge speaks to her, Ms. Paula Bauer whose father was one of the Golden Gate Bridge’s engineers. Yes, today I celebrate those random conversations from people who shared with me a bit of the joy in their lives.
There, I feel better already.
I also love to accidentally hear conversations which is so easy in this day of constant cell phone conversations. Granted I only hear one side but my imagination can be better than the other real responses.