I left Anacortes in the dark this morning to avoid traffic, and then I followed day two of the board meeting on Zoom. The drive was long and the meeting beautiful and intense. So as soon as it was over I took a long walk.
Early on my loop I passed a mother and her look-alike teenage son. She was lecturing comprehensively, but not angrily, in rapid-fire Japanese, punctuating her thoughts with wild gesticulations, while he listened with a grave expression.
Later I saw a mother and her adult daughter, also Asian, but I couldn’t hear what language they were speaking. The mother and I exchanged smiles and she cheerfully said, “Good morning!” The sun was setting behind her, the horizon just beginning to glow.
This was right near where about half a dozen Muslim women sat picnicking. They smiled and said something I presume was hello or such like.
Then, as I approached my car, I passed a tired, dusty man who looked like he’d just gotten off work. He was waiting for his dog to finish sniffing. As soon as I was within polite earshot, he raised his chin and complimented me on my “lovely blue floral-patterned purse.” This delighted me because a young man pushing loads of baggage in the Spokane airport after the last board meeting said almost exactly the same thing.
Until recently, I’d always been an early morning walker, but I’ve been enjoying these evening scenes, all of us unwinding from our days. So much care and kindness.