Killing Time, Collecting Friends

I was just killing time.

A few weeks ago, I was in Los Angeles on a gorgeous day and made a new friend. My daughter and husband were occupied elsewhere and I had some time to kill before I re-connected with them. I had no agenda, no plan, no schedule, nothing on my to-do list. I consulted google maps and noticed an outdoor shopping center I had heard about close by.

As I wandered around the charming venue, I found myself smiling and breathing deeply. The central square featured music playing on a loud speaker and a street performer entertaining dozens of rambunctious children. The sun was shining, the temperature a perfect 75 degrees and I had no where in particular to go.

In this frame of mind, I wandered by a kiosk selling t-shirts with inspirational messages embroidered on the front. As I looked at the merchandise, I heard the owner speaking to other customers and found myself eavesdropping on their conversation. Her story piqued my curiosity and, when it was my turn to pay for the item I had selected, I asked her to tell me more about her business and why she had chosen this path.

Remember, I was just killing time.

Because I wasn’t in a hurry, I had the opportunity to spend time with Elizabeth and hear about her son Declan, who has a number of disabilities and challenges. We talked about our fierce love for our kids and how much we wanted to teach them about kindness and commitment. We talked about finding a way to use the thing we love to serve our family and the world. We both got tearful as we connected over our passion to step into our calling, to choose a path of meaning, purpose and service, and our shared belief that Something or Someone knew the location of that path, even when it wasn’t clear to us. We talked about trusting the process, even when the results weren’t guaranteed. Our interaction ended with a big hug and an exchange of contact information.

I have included her website at the end of this post if you would like to join me in supporting her mission to make the world a kinder, more beautiful place with her art.

Because I wasn’t in a hurry to be somewhere else, I had the privilege and joy of connecting with a friend I didn’t yet know, a fellow traveler on the journey, gathering another treasure in my collection of brave stories. Collecting new friends and hearing their stories about choosing to step out of their comfort zone to do something brave has become my favorite past time, a delightful gift I only receive when I slow down enough to be intentionally curious about the people God places in my path. I receive delightful gifts when I become intentionally curious about the people God places in my path. Click To TweetWhen I choose to open my eyes and be fully present in the moment, I am finding the world is brimming over with courageous and creative souls who inspire me and bring out my brave best by their example.

And isn’t it funny, I was just killing time.

Joining my friends over at Five Minute Friday again this week. We are playing with the word COLLECT today.

Please join me in supporting my new friend Elizabeth on her brave journey by joining her email list so you will know when her website store is launched. I am loving my new BE KIND shirt in the picture above. Super soft, comfy and high quality. As a side note, I was wearing the shirt on our flight home from LA and got such a fun response, including the TSA officer who pointed to my shirt and said “I’m trying!” I told him he was doing a great job 🙂 Thanks, Elizabeth!