This made me think. And in thinking of the meaning of this writing by Shawna, I reflected upon the times in my life when in some unfamiliar (to me) place in this world I most unexpectedly and accidently ran into a moment and a person that forever changed me, that forever made me a better person. The moments maybe different than what you intended Cookie, but then again, moments of kindred spirit.
Once, in a land I was other than from books and hearsay very unfamiliar with, I was wandering the streets exploring the city I was in, and in the middle of the day, quite parched from the heat, stopped at a local vendor's roadside cart to purchase a drink. This was in a so called 3rd world country, the vendor obviously working hard to survive and I an admittedly ignorant American, found ourselves face-to-face. I used my hands to point out what I wanted because I had no knowledge of the language and she, having no knowledge of my language, began a pantomime in which we quickly arrived at an impasse. The impasse began when I tried to pay for the drink and offered up a small (to me) denomination bill to pay for the drink. My payment was met with a look of surprise, then wild hand signals and what I could tell (or thought at the moment) was a frustrated or maybe angry responses in her native tongue. I was a bit taken aback by her response, and honestly ready to just throw up my hands and walk away when I heard from behind me ""may I help" in near, albeit heavily accented English.
Trying to keep this as short as possible, it was a woman just a couple of years older than I who was offering to help translate and resolve the impasse. I gratefully and happily accepted her help and as it turned out, the small denomination bill I offered in payment was in reality many times over the cost of the drink... like a few weeks profit more than the cost of that drink, and the vendor had insufficient change to complete the transaction. The drink's price was pennies and the bill I offered was equal to a hundred dollar bill being offered for the drink. So there we were, a vendor who needed every single sale just to be able to eat and an idiot American offering to purchase it with a a bill the vendor couldn't possibly handle. Both unable to speak the others language and both misinterpreting the others responses.
The lady quickly did the translating, had us all three smiling and laughing at the situation, but with me still thirsty and unable to pay for the drink and the vendor having to pass up a sale she needed to make. Our interpreter settled it by paying for the drink. Such a simple but giving gesture and one which resulted in our long, deep and dare I say, loving friendship. A couple of years later I left the country, leaving behind a piece of me, but taking with me a new and more valuable me... all pieces of the lady and her country. Priceless.
Priceless and not an isolated moment in my life. Opening oneself to such moments changes you.
