A Lunch Time Encounter

A while back I was sitting down in Nandos with a workmate waiting for our orders. It was lunch hour and it was packed.  Three women came and stood next to us. Without even communicating both of us stood up offering our seats to them (from my estimate they were all in their mid or late fifties). One of them  suddenly exclaimed,

“Oh no, don’t stand on my account, I am young and can manage to stand”.

On seeing the expressions on our faces she began to laugh.  She then went on to explain how she chooses to live her life to the fullest without letting her age be a hindrance. She said she saw no point in crying about getting older and succumbing to it with resignation instead she had made a decision to be young at heart despite getting older each year and to embrace life with a passion as if her life was just beginning. I was impressed by this woman’s attitude towards life and so was my workmate. As we walked back to the office my workmate and I could not help but reminisce about the lady we had just met. We were both excited and inspired. What had been a boring day suddenly turned into a beautiful day.

I love and always look forward to such encounters were I meet someone who says or does something that wows me and makes me re- evaluate my way of thinking or life in general.  My hope and prayer is that, even without my knowing it I have done or said things that have touched people (strangers or not) and changed them in some way – and that I continue to do so. Such is what I would call one of life’s’ priceless pleasures.