how to make a friend in 20 minutes!

Have you ever wondered

 if you are in the right place at the right time?

Today’s story is exactly what crossed my mind.

Everyone knows I do my walk at the boardwalk.

Just as I started my morning trek,

I approached a woman standing with her camera,

obviously struggling with it.

As I got closer to her

(and in somewhat of a broken English)

she asked if I knew how to operate these

“new fangled contraptions”

Little did she know,

I am a techno idiot when it comes to them,

and I didn’t have my glasses

so this was going to be interesting to say the least.

However, I took the camera and between the two of us,

I was able to find what she was looking for.

“There it is” she said,

and when I glanced at it,

it was tall dead grass

with the lake in the background.

I have to admit,

it really didn’t seem all that exciting to look at,

but what she said next had me stop and think.

“Isn’t this just beautiful?

We walk by this every day not even noticing,

but once you take the picture it gives it life.”

When I looked at it again,

I realized how true her words were.

It was something to see and really could have been a picture for a postcard.

Now that she seemed happy to have what she was looking for,

I told her to enjoy the scenery, have a nice day

and I was ready to resume my walk.

Not so fast Kimmie!

Next thing I know,

she is walking along side me

and asking if she could join me.

I will admit,

I prefer to walk alone so I can

go at a pace I am used to

but how do you refuse someone who seems so darn sweet.

“Absolutely” I replied

and off we went.

I guess I should explain that she was an elderly woman,

a little shorter than myself

so it didn’t take me long to realize I had to adjust my strides

and slow it down

because it was very obvious my pace was a bit much for her.

I discovered she was from Poland,

moved here years ago with her husband.

She loves to walk in the fall,

and is known to pick and cook wild mushrooms.

( not the magic ones for anyone wondering)

She gave me a quick lesson on how some of them are poisonous

so you really have to know what you are doing

but she was convinced she had mastered the recipe

and seemed very proud to admit it.

She makes special trips

to Manitoulin Island and High Falls

 every year with her best friend

to walk the trails

and to admire the changing colours of the leaves.

As we met up with a woman walking her dog,

she just had to stop and pet it

and tell the owner of the dog how beautiful he was.

Yup! She is dog lover.

Actually, she loves all animals

and is a big supporter for wildlife conservation

and I could tell by her voice

how passionate she really was.

Once that little interaction was over,

she proceeded to tell me her and her best friend

were heading to Cuba in November.

Apparently her husband would be away at a  conference for his work,

so last-minute she decided to join her friend

and get one more chance to warm her feet up

and soak in some warm sun.

Oh and she likes to walk in the mornings

when she is there

because any later she would burn her shoulders

and have to cover up the rest of the time.

I suppose I should explain why I am telling you all the details.

We really only walked together for maybe 20 minutes

before we got to a spot

where she went one way,

and I went the other.

Such a short time,

and as I walked away,

I felt like I just made a new friend.

 The best part for me

was as we said our goodbyes,

she said,

“I hope I see you again”

I smiled back, wished her a great trip with her friend,

and said

“You can tell me all about it when you get back.”

We waved and we were both on our way.

So was I in the right place at the right time?

There’s a good chance I may never see her again,

only because I have never run into to her before.

I have to believe I was.

This woman obviously wanted someone to talk to

and I needed her to remind me

that sometimes it’s good to slow down

and enjoy what is right in front of you.

Of course God may have brought us together

for some other reason…

He knows I love my mushrooms!

Make it a great day everybody!