6:30 this morning. I stared down at my nearly flat back tire. A long string of profanities rolled off my tongue like a string of black pearls. (There's not many problems that a lot of cussing can't solve.)
But now… sitting here at the end of the day I see that if it weren't for that tire, I wouldn't have gone to the tire place after school. And if I hadn't gone to the tire place, I wouldn't have been there when all 6 feet of 91 year old Bill came teetering in the waiting room door.
And if Bill had not plopped down on the chair across from me clutching
his can of power steering fluid, we would never had started talking.
And if we hadn't started talking I wouldn't have known that he moved here from
New York in 1946. I wouldn't have found out that you used to be able to buy 2 tires for $13. I wouldn't have found out that it used to take Bill 10 minutes to walk down the street to the tire store, but now it takes him an hour. I wouldn't have had a chance to yack with an interesting old fellow about heads of state, the Armenian genocide of 1915, whether tires are made of just rubber or composite materials, or his last big birthday bash.
And then of course if I hadn't done all that I probably wouldn't have offered Bill a ride home once my tire got fixed. He probably wouldn't have accepted and I wouldn't have found out when I dropped him off at his office, his full name. And if I hadn't known his full name I wouldn't have been able to google him when I got home. Wouldn't have discovered that NPR featured him in a segment a few years back. Nope. Sure wouldn't have known about that.
The world is full of interesting people. Marvelous old growth forests living right among us. wow.
None of the people in these photos are Bill. But when we were in Lisbon last year, Carol took some great photos of people who could have been Bill. Or Fidel Castro, either one.
Funny!–thanks for the chuckle–all of it, just humorous!
Lucky you! I just love it when my path crosses those of interesting people on a CHANCE! It’s so cool. My family says that I can talk to anybody. It’s true. I consider it a compliment.
One of my favorite posts ever. Thanks tons!
Oh, Mary Ann..what a gift you were given, and what a gift you have passed on to your readers. We need to practice being more aware and open to the small miracles each day offers. They are out there and surround us. Thanks for reminding me of this. A smile has filled me up and I feel it overflowing and puddling my day in such a good and grateful way. Thanks. Ellen K.
that makes me miss my ted….my stepgrandfather…he had the COOLEST stories….
It can’t be Fidel. I’m pretty sure he would not wear those green PJ’s with a motorcycle jacket. Lisbon Guy is pulling that look off with a degree of cool Castro only dreams about.
Bill…I love you so, I always will….
This Blog gets better and better. How DOES she do it?
“Bill. Or Fidel Castro, either one”
Mary Ann, you crack me up.
🙂 🙂 🙂
To quote an oldie… Slow down, you move too fast, You got to make the morning last, Just kicking down the cobblestones, Looking for fun and feeling groovy….it’s amazing what we see when we take the time to look….or chat! Great story and photos….can’t wait for your Istanbul adventures… Beth
It’s so amazing the things we find out when circumstances take us out of our every day routines. Even the people we pass in our every day routines. Everyone has a story. I’m so glad you were there to hear Bills. I’ll bet you made him smile too! Yesterday my 95 year old father drove himself to get an oil change. I can only hope someone kind like you was there to listen to his story.
….what a serendipitous story…love this story about Bill!
Moss Cottage, I Love meeting the bills and annes of the world its one of the greatest blessing for your life.
Linda
How cool is that?! Like you, I found out the lady who does my taxes (out of her home) use to work for a studio (a long, long, long, time ago) and she used to p/u and drive (from the airport) people like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, and a few others around right here in Michigan! Some of these guys performed right in the living room of the same house I visit once a year!! The conversation started based on a picture of the Rat Pack that was hanging on her wall in her little office, in her little house, on a little street, in a middle class neighborhood here in Michigan!! Love these stories!! You just never know!!
Hope those kitties are being looked after! I will look for Bills in Edinburgh! My favourite Uncle was a Bill!
I love, love, love, love, love, love, love your outlook on life and this post in particular. There are “Bills” all around us if we only take the time to find them.
isn’t it amazing the people we meet when we slow down and look around? 😉