Kismet on a Friday Morning

Today, I was a victim of Kismet. It's been a long time since I found myself in the cross hairs of fate, but recognizing the moment today, I had the opportunity to meet a very interesting gentlemen. It's one of those line of circumstances sort of thing. First, I have been working part time at Crossroads IGA to earn spending cash for our trip to Europe this summer. As a result,I have been working every weekend for almost the past 2 months. So... when Isaiah needed a ride to WKU for honor's band today, I sacrificed myself and took a day off from work - mostly because I had a student teacher and would not have to make lesson plans (for the non-teaching set lesson plans are worse than any illness that does not involve vomiting - and then they still suck - but are worth it so you don't have to move away from the toilet, trash can, or receipticle of choice). Anyway, I was going to stop at Panera to kill the hour needed before the pet store opened (where I needed to purchase crickets and meal worms). Along the way, I remembered I had a $6 off coupon at staples - it was open - I found 50 cent composition notebooks - SCORE - bought all they had which was EXACTLY $6. Then tooled on to Panera for breakfast. As I walked in, a gentleman was having a good time with the cashier - the same way my mother would interact with people in public. He was offering to buy her breakfast, and just visiting with her. When she refused, he offered to buy me breakfast instead. And then we were joking/chatting in line. So, after the fact, instead of sitting alone in the corner doing the vacation planning I had intended -- I grabbed all my crap and introduced myself and sat next to him and proceeded to have a very enjoyable almost 3 hour conversation. It turns out that this gentleman was is a retired professor of statistics at WKU. He hails from San Fransisco even if he sounded as if he was from New England somewhere - to which I then responded that California accents don't count because they sound like everywhere -- Sam Elliot hailing from San Diego case in point. I also learned that he is the John who on Friday mornings talks on the radio about the Humane Society Pet of the Week (you know you've heard him - and he does not sound like Californian a.k.a. Keanu Reeves). And he gets really excited about statistics - One of the 3 pleasures in life he claims - after only food and sex. I sort of feel like there should be belly laughs of your children, maybe a nice, light breeze on a warm, sunny day should be in there - but it's his list -- and a man (which accounts for sex maybe being higher in the list than it should be -- ). He is one of those people who seems inherently positive. He knew almost everyone in Panera -- ok that's an exaggeration - but he knew at least 3 of the people who works there -- And when I called him on it - he totally claimed to only be friendly because he wanted to get free food -- I feel like there are plenty of ways to get free food - but we are all allowed to define our own realities. Of the 3 young ladies who worked at Panera who came over, he was offering encouraging advice to them related to school or job either way. I see that as being the teacher in him - but I may also be projecting. It was no different with me. He asked me several times if I was a writer or wanted to write (though i suspect he is mostly looking for someone who would help him with the paper he is writing about -- perhaps the predictability of STAR reading test scores on ACT achievement - if not that topic then something like that -- I also suspect trolling Panera is probably a good place to find people who fancy themselves as writer) - and he also suggested on several occasions that I should get my doctorate in education and teach at university. Which is flattering - and not anything that I have ever really wanted to pursue - mostly because there are no good stories in the education textbooks -- Not that I would know first hand as I didn't read the ones that I purchased for my own classes. And again, his push and encouragement of a virtual stranger says more about him and the teacher that he is than it says about me -- I do not believe that I have imaginary fluorescent lights signalling that I am a TEACHER of TEACHERS.... but it is nice for a minute to think that someone who does not know me - sees something in me that indicates that I am good at my job - and would be good at teaching others to do my job. Anyway, the conversation was not unlike those college conversations that you had in your 20s when you first get to meet someone - but you no longer have when you are married and have children because who really has the time. It is not very often that such chances to meet a new person comes along - at least for those of us who live in the largely anti-social sect -- and the time to sit down and talk to someone is even less. So, I am glad that I took a second, and forced my company on someone - though based on the number of people who came to say hello, or whom he spoke to - he was not needing my company - he was apparently one of those people who interacts with all people -- so for him - today- probably nothing out the new -- for me - an exceptionally nice moment.