Cheez-Its and Soup

And in that moment, I was touched by a stranger.

Do you ever have an encounter with someone that just warms your heart? It doesn't have to be a long one, just a couple of seconds or so, maybe a few words, maybe not. A brief amount of time where you interact with a fellow human being, someone you don't really know, and you feel a connection. When your eyes meet, maybe a smile, some small crinkles in the corners of your eyes, a knowing upturn of the mouth or a nod of the head. It doesn't have to be big. Just something noticed between you and someone else. Perhaps it's just one sided, but I would like to think that it can be mutual.

I think I had an encounter like that. It was truly a precious moment. It happened when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat for dinner one night. It was later in the evening and the cafeteria was in the closing down phase; main meals were being to be put away. It was the last call if you wanted to eat anything else besides cereal. I was walking aimlessly back and forth between the different stations (as I often find myself) trying to make some sort of decision. Finally I decided on soup. I poured myself a small bowl and went to add some Cheez-Its, but there were none left. There I was, my soup in hand but lacking the necessary topping. For a moment I was sad. I only really wanted soup because I wanted to top it with Cheez-Its, and now I didn't really want to eat it because of the missing orange crackers, and here I was, starting to feel the small pricks of guilt because I was considering wasting this bowl of soup.

Thankfully, at that particular time, there was someone working behind the counter when I decided to express my letdown. I can be a very vocal person. This is probably because I can feel things deeply. Even the small joys and wonders in life that seem pretty ordinary usually always get some sort of vocal response from me. How I'm affected can usually be heard in the forms of "Oh...," "Awww," a gasp, or even a sentence. Anyway, seeing that the bowl that usually held the orange crackers was empty I exclaimed something to the effect, "Oh, they're all gone..." And Peter* noticed.

He could have just said sorry, he could have explained to me that they were putting things away. Instead, he found a new box, and opened the bag so I could have fresh Cheez-Its to choose from. I don't know why, but that unsuspecting act of kindness warmed me up inside. For some reason, I felt taken care of by a stranger.

By chance I saw him again. I was able to smile and wave and he waved back. I'm not sure if he remembered that original encounter or if he was just being polite. I'm not sure if he even recognized me. But that doesn't matter, not really. It's a precious moment in time that I've remembered. A small, unexpected moment that brought me joy. A happy accident. I hope that there are Peter's in everyone's life at some point. Someone who you don't know and yet interacted with in a special way. Hooray for the Peter's of the world! You should be celebrated.

And in that moment, I was touched by a stranger.

*not actual name