Smile

In my 31 years, I have done a lot of things. Looking back, my life isn't so terribly boring, but it feels that way to me when things are routine. 2 degrees, 7 years of advanced schooling, 5 years in the Army, 2 careers. I had a date with 2 political men - 1 real, 1 poseur (the random CL dude - but that wasn't even a real date!). The real political man is now the lieutenant governor of his state. I should write him just to say hello. :) That date came about by accident. I don't consider it a real date, but it was a date nonetheless - I paid for it! Sorta. I won a Valentine's Day bachelor bid and the money went to the American Cancer Society. I was bucking up the bidding price - I mean honestly, a state senator should have gone for more than $325! But I got caught with the bag. Woops! hee. Oh well. I wasn't looking for a relationship... hell, I wasn't looking for a date! But the date was fairly nice, although he didn't quite come through on everything he was supposed to. Whatever. The money went to a good cause. Thinking back on it, I swear that was a little crazy. But funny... and stories like these make me smile. Tonight, I worked late - par for the course, but I got in some mad billing today. I finally shook some of the ADHD and was cooking with gas and just started to crank stuff and get organized. I finished that monster motion - 24 pages without all the exhibits and affidavits that I have to copy. I had some clarity, some focus - and I ran with it. I took a late train and saw my favorite conductor - the nice guy who made some kids have an awesome train ride. He was driving my train tonight and I talked to him the whole way home. This was the first time I had an actual conversation with him. He seems to be a very warm and friendly guy. Outgoing. Down to earth. A bit older than me, at 43. Divorced, too - he married a few years ago without getting to know her as well as he should and filed for divorce not long after. Marriage is hard work, and marriage definitely takes two people to make it work. No kids, though. He didn't go to college, but he's not dumb. He has a second job. I don't know how much money he makes, but he apparently makes good money and is comfortable. I don't really care how much he makes, but I would surmise that if you defined success by the measure of money one had, he'd be fairly successful. He's got some real estate. He has an interest in the legal field and has done some clerical/paralegal work. He's very easy to talk to and smiles easily. It doesn't hurt that he has a nice smile, too. It's very comforting. I don't usually take the train as late as this one, so I don't usually see him. If I could get my ass out of bed on Saturdays when I'm going to work, I would see him more often but lately... I don't have any guilt about not pushing myself to get up to go to work on a Saturday. What strikes me is just how friendly he is. I will go so far as to use the word "sweet." Very kind and sweet. It left a lasting impression. It's nice to feel welcome after 5 months of feeling estranged from my own self. Most people here don't even make eye contact with each other on the street, we merely coexist and pass each other by as if we were just gossamer. And yet here is this dude - making conversation and smiling with this stranger. Yeah, I'll go so far to say that he was flirting with me, but it felt good and I liked it. It's amazing what effects warmth and kindness have on the spirit. It makes me smile, and I could stand to do more of that. As an aside, this post is #399. I have something in the works but I don't expect that it will be #400. Maybe... Lost is on tomorrow and my butt will be parked in front of the TV for that show. Have a good night.