I'm not really sure what it is that makes me a target for random events. I wish I knew so that I could share with others how to receive this blessing. As I've thought about it over the last week the only thing I can come up with is that extra time and space is needed for things like this to happen.
For instance, last week I was walking to the copier to print off some flyers for a big homeless event we are doing today. I left more time than needed to accomplish this task so that I could stop by the park and say hey and see how everyone was doing. On my way I passed a lady from Bangladesh (I tell you this so you understand her hospitality and culture) who works at Taco Bell, she was standing outside on the phone. She snagged me and asked me if I'd give her sister directions on the phone. After walking her sister through every turn to reach us, Mona asked me to come in and get something to eat on the house. I had already eaten dinner, but I can't pass up free food so I ordered it to go so I could take it to one of the guys in the park. She wanted to know where I'm from, if I'm studying, working, etc. By the end of the conversation we'd exchanged phone numbers and I promised to return for more conversation later. While on the phone it started to rain so the paper that I was taking to copy got ruined but the trip to the copier became worth more than the task at hand because a relationship was created.
Last night Anna and I were walking along Marietta st looking for photo opps. We saw a sign that said "Art gallery" in spray paint. We looked in the window and saw a small room full of people and heard a DJ and loud hip hop music. At first we thought it was a bar so we kept walking. I was curious (as usual) so I peered in the door, the guy behind the bar waved me in. So Anna and I stepped into the world of hip hop dance battle. It was amazing, guys were sizing up their competition, spinning on their heads and facing their next opponent. We agreed that this is one of the coolest random things that has happened to us. Afterward we were going to get something to eat, we couldn't find a place we'd eaten at before. After driving around and around I started getting frustrated with all the one way roads and "no turn" intersections so she suggested we just go to the food court in the CNN center. We usually walk to the CNN center but we were already in the car so we drove. All the parking surrounding the center is expensive because of events. I refused to pay $12 to park to eat in a food court so we drove a couple of blocks over and found free parking. Hungry, tired, and at the end of my rope we stood in line at Wendy's. I looked over and saw Sam, one of my friends from the park counting his change. We started talking about his favorite thing on the menu. He said he really liked the chicken but didn't eat it often because it's so expensive. Anna suggested we buy his meal. I told him to order whatever he wanted (After all, it is Wendy's, how much can it be?) but he only ordered a chicken sandwich. I added fries and a drink to his order along with ours and we sat and talked for an hour while we ate. I'm sure I'll share our discussion in another post but this one is becoming too long already. Our dinner with Sam was another reminder to me how sometimes God has bigger reasons for things that seem like just frustrations in my life. If we'd gone to the other restaurant or not drove around to find free parking we could have missed this opportunity to be blessed by our conversation with Sam.
