conversations with strangers #47

i’m talking to strangers?! what in the world?! here’s why.

i finished a round of me vs. the dust bunnies. i won.

then i tackled all the other cleaning things because i had friends coming to town and, yeah, no need for them to see dirty floors, crumbs, or sticky counters.

i won that battle too.

the last round consisted of me carrying two trash bags, one brown bag of recyclables, a shoebox, a salad container, plus an empty quart of milk out back to the garbage and recycling cans. with my keys in one hand, i was balancing everything in the other and had to make use of my chin to keep everything from toppling.

then i realized i had to close the front door behind me.

adjusting my position one miniscule movement at a time, i angled myself back to the door and took another 3 minutes to turn back to face the stairs.

a young college student did a double take as he took in my precarious position.

him: you need help?

me: oh, thank you. no, i think i’ve got it.

the truth was, i figured if i renegotiated my hold on things, i would have lost it all, so best not to accept his help. he left with a smile and i was left dazzled by the kindness of this stranger.