This day has already started off on a strangely nice note.
I was perhaps a little groggy this morning before my commute; couldn’t muster up enough energy to have a full-blown workout so I did yoga instead. I didn’t even have my morning tea or coffee before I hopped onto the bus…
While on the bus, I immediately whipped out the book I’ve been reading, Three Cups of Tea, which one of my sisters had recommended to me. I began reading this book last Monday and already I’m over halfway through with the book. It’s a truly inspirational read, and what makes it even more inspirational/invigorating to my spirit is that it all is true. I was reading Chapter 15, which was about Mr. Greg Mortenson in action with building more schools in Pakistan (after the initial school in Korphe was completed). It’s a series of encounters that were destined, of meetings that were more than mere coincidences.
The chapter planted a thought in my head as I prepared to get off the bus; I was lost in this thought for a few seconds when suddenly I was jarred back to reality by a kind fellow bus rider’s comment about the book I held in my hands. “That is quite a wonderful read, isn’t it?” the man said to me. I was taken aback by his comment, but I nodded quickly in acknowledgement. By that point, we were both getting off the bus, so there was no time to really seek a further conversation. That small encounter itself was enough to put me in a good mood….
And then, I entered into the building where I work, and the bodyguard downstairs was a different person from the usual morning bodyguard. She stopped me before I went up the elevator and also made a comment about the book I held in my hands. “Wow, that book, I’ve seen it everywhere–“
That icebreaker broke open a fountain of conversation over general life topics, how our parents’ outlooks on life differ from ours, the opportunities/hardships we ourselves seek out in the circumstances we are given, and so forth. Most of the time I was just the listener in the discussion, but it was still refreshing to have such an encounter, even before work. It wasn’t at all awkward, either; just good, genuine talk with a new acquaintance.
It was a great way to start off an already full day, and I can’t help but keep this smile upon my face. Just goes to show that, even in this anonymous world of a city, personal touch can still exist.