While sitting at a table at Queen City Diner, my favorite breakfast spot, where the coffee is
mediocre but soothing and the elderly server is usually slow and inaccurate but friendly
and sweet, I felt peace and joy from the little things.
Reading an article by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in the Shambhala Sun, “The Jewel You
Carry With You” it appears that, “In order to be successful in this world, you need three
qualities; wisdom, compassion, and courage. These three will lead to a successful, happy,
and fulfilled life.”
Gosh. I constantly strive to encompass these qualities.
While contemplating exactly how I have succeeded in this lately, I spent time looking
around me and feeling pretty full inside. There was a group of three in the table next to
me, a mother, a daughter and her daughter’s best friend. How do I know? I was listening
of course. I love getting a sneak peek into the lives of complete strangers. They were in a
hurry, off to the mall. The mom and daughter seemed to have open communication going
on. It was really nice to see. When I have a daughter I definitely want a trusting open
relationship with her, where I am a joy to be around, even with her friends.
At the table in front of me were three “obviously” gay men. They looked so so handsome in
their really nice khakis and shiny watches. I could not help noticing the watches as their
hands and arms so elegantly and expressively enhanced what their mouths were saying.
The beautiful coffee-with-three-creamers-colored black man is a successful designer, and
won’t be doing another international show until the fall. He is also proud of using the
same cleaning lady from NY for a very long time now. The Asian man is quite pleased with
his new pair of eyeglasses and the white guy was quiet but had really really nice hands and
hair.
Next to the men was an interracial family. I was obsessed with the two daughter’s very
curly “ethnic” blond hair. They were about 7 and 11 quiet and awkward in a way that age
can be sometimes. Could not hear the conversation, too far away.
Observing these groups of people interacting with each other, all seeming to take cues from
the quiet Sunday morning weather (slow, misty, lazy rain) which seems to ask of us not to
be too loud right now, I was happy that I chose to go outside for breakfast, instead of
eating one of the millions of Luna Bars I still have leftover from the show.
I was in love with everyone there. Everyone’s smiles, manners of communicating and
spirits made me feel very connected and I no longer felt the unsettling sting of loneliness
threatening to pull rank on my better judgement last night. I was happy to be alive this
morning, happy to be a table of one, able to indulge at the sights and sounds around me,
and happy as hell to be eating my yummy French toast and drinking my mediocre coffee.
Happy Sunday guys!