All sorts of thoughts

It is something to have a knack for people to be themselves, even strangers.  I had quite the conversation with a sales associate yesterday.  We went with Raven to dinner. We were celebrating my new job. We ended the night on a beautiful toast with wine.  I think I almost cried.  But that's another story lol But she needed to go to get a new phone.  And there, in the most unexpected place, I had a very interesting experience.  I met a black confederate supporter.  And on the other side of that, his other associate was asking me questions wordsmith wise.  Raven concluded that it must have been something I said to clue him in that I was an aficionado of words.  It took me by surprise but I was very flattered and helped him out.  To have a knack for people to let their guard down around me is quite an experience.  I understand why we put up our guard these days in society.  I myself have put up walls to protect myself.  But it is a human condition moment to see a person be their authentic self.  And it was a direct effect from you allowing them to be like that.  It is a rare thing to accept people in their most authentic self.  And quite frankly, there is a risk involved.  I have learned that it doesn't always work.  But that is okay.  It's a trial and error.  And that is part of the human process for me.  I will win some.  I will lose some.  Life is like chess.  Some moves will directly get you to where you need to go.  Others will make you stalemate.  It doesn't necessarily mean a win.  It doesn't necessarily mean a loss either.  If you learned something, then a win in its own way, has been made.  I have moments where I think I'm having an inception moment of sorts of my own.  It's a moment within a moment within a lesson.  Life is constantly teaching me things.  Friends are constantly teaching me things.  Sometimes they know it.  Other times it's just because I am observing things.  I learned something else.  Perhaps life doesn't start after 40.  I am about to turn 40 in less than a year.  And somehow, I feel like I am finally growing up in the aspects that seemed stunted.  That may sound strange.  But having a conversation with Jeremy about a friend prompted an interesting point for a woman.  Some go in motherhood from 0-60 without necessarily taking a breather.  I myself was one of those women.  I didn't have a reference.  I was going to make lots of mistakes.  But, another conversation with one of my best friends reminded me of something important.  Her words basically said that the maybe the simple defining feature of all amazing mothers in this world is the willingness and desire to try.  Wow.  That was powerful.  So as mothers, and for that matter, as fathers...as parents, we are going to make mistakes.  We are gong to lose our cool.  We are going to get frustrated.  We might even yell.  But we try again.  We keep teaching.  And in the process we learn something ourselves.  All sorts of thoughts run through me sometimes.  I'm a student of philosophy and deep thought.  And I love that about myself.  So today, as you go through your day...think about the things you love about yourself.  I promise to smile for that amazing person you are.  I am smiling already.  Somewhere in Time is playing by Danny Wright.