Today I am asked to describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to me. I do seem to meet a lot of strangers, and most of them are fairly positive encounters.
For example, earlier this week I stopped off at a bar on my walk home. I stop in at that bar periodically for a beer and to talk to a bartender friend I have there. When he tossed the coaster on the bar, it was fairly close to a brown-haired girl who seemed to have been talking to him for a while.
As I started talking to the bartender, the conversation naturally extended to the stranger. She seemed very positive and friendly to me. I got to know a few things about her. Her name was Kim, and she was only in town for a week on business. She was also a single mom of two kids and lived in Montreal.
The bar there was about to close, but the conversation with her was nice, so I asked her if she wanted to go to another bar. I also asked the bartender if he wanted to go, but he said he wanted to get something to eat, so I suggested a place that serves pizza, and then made him promise to come over after he closed.
As she and I walked over to the bar together, I realized that she just felt very comfortable to be around. We stopped off a couple places on the way because she wanted to take photos, since she had never been to this city before. I took a couple of photos of her on her phone. She seemed very happy.
After a short walk, we got to the other bar and had a couple drinks while my bartender friend finished his pizza. We all then said goodbye and parted ways. I’m sure I will never see her again, which is usually the case with people I meet on business trips or vacation, but she definitely left a positive impression on me. She seemed like my kind of person. I wish I could say that about everyone I know.
Do you meet many strangers? What’s a positive experience you have had with a stranger? Do some people feel like friends upon first meeting? Are there people you wish you had never met? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
A few weeks ago, I ventured down to a local cocktail bar that I had started frequenting on weekends. The seat I took happened to be right next to a blond-haired lady who seemed sort of interesting to me. She was talking to one of the bartenders when I took a seat beside her, but I left one barstool between us because I didn’t want to crowd a stranger.
I remember she seemed like a very jolly person, which is a characteristic I tend to like in people. I also noticed something else about her that caught my attention. She had a deck of cards sitting in front of her on the bar, but they were not playing cards. I recognized them as being what are called tarot cards.
As fortune would have it, we soon struck up a conversation. If I remember correctly, she said she had moved into town to work for a lawyer. I believe she said it was a woman lawyer. The lady did some sort of office work for her, I think. She said she moved there specifically to work for her, which I thought was interesting. I don’t think I would move to a place just to work for a particular person, but I guess that made sense to her.
It wasn’t long before I had to ask her the question, what are you doing with those cards? She told me she was really into them and came to give the bartender a reading, which I presume she had already done prior to my arrival, but we didn’t really get into that, and the bartender sort of wondered off to leave us talking.
There was a small group of what looked like young college students at the back of the bar by the fireplace. Yea, this bar has a fireplace. It is decorated like a living room, having couches and chairs, and the walls have bookshelves with books on them. It sort of feels like you are having a party at someone’s house, only it’s not a house, it’s a cocktail bar. I also noticed the group at the back were very nicely dressed and looked affluent, which wasn’t uncommon for this bar, as it is kind of fancy.
As I conversed with the lady, she sort of leaned in and said, those people at the back have a very negative vibe about them. I said, so you are able to sense negativity? She said, yes, and they also wanted a reading, so I gave them one. I didn’t think it was all that bad, but one of the girls didn’t like it, and gave me bad looks, so I came to sit over here. Then she said, they have lived a very privileged life and they believe they are higher up than those around them. I turned to glance at them briefly and casually, as not to attract any attention, and yes, they looked exactly as she described them.
After this conversation, I asked her, do you feel like you are psychic? She said something like, I can just feel things about certain people. I then asked, so what do you think of me? She said, you seem very positive. I don’t sense any of the negativity in you that I see in them. I would also say you seem very grounded. I believe you are probably an Earth sign. I responded, yes, you are correct about that.
To be honest, I don’t usually find fortune telling very interesting, though I can see how it might be entertaining. I like the idea of being in control of my own fate, and honestly, I don’t know if I really want to know the future. I also know something about self-fulfilling prophesies. Basically, if you believe something is going to happen, you start to subconsciously adjust your behavior until it actually does happen, which might not be something you want at all.
That being said, fate did seem to have its hands in the happenings of the evening already. I mean, this wasn’t a typical day for me to be at this bar, and I just happened to sit down beside a fortune teller, who just happened to be there that night too, and she just happened to have her tarot cards with her. I have also never seen her before or since that night either, so it must not have been her typical place to be. After taking all this into consideration, I figured, the universe is trying to tell me something. I might as well hear what it has to say.
She said to me, what question are you seeking? What do you want this reading to be over? I said, I want to know about my life. How’s it going to turn out? She shuffled the deck a few times, and asked me to cut the cards, and then she laid out three cards from the deck, one at a time, and face up. As the cards were laid out, she began to try and interpret what they were saying.
A smile came over her face, and she said, this is a very good reading! It means you are experiencing a new beginning. You are an Earth sign, and so that is the source of your power, and these are Earth cards, which makes them even more meaningful for you. They are saying the Earth is going to give you great abundance, so you need to plan for it and others are going to help you, and you must also be prepared to defend your territory when you receive it.
I got chills when she said it honestly. It perfectly fits what I have been feeling lately. I knew I was experiencing something knew, because I was starting to feel stronger, more solid, more stable, more grounded, and more… like Earth. That being said, I’m not really sure I want to be like Earth, as it can make me appear cold, hard, and impenetrable, and I’m just not like that on the inside. There is one thing that comforts me about it though. Earth means new growth and healing, and that’s something I do need desperately.
Though I can definitely feel my life changing, it also scares me badly, because every new beginning means the end of something that came before it. I’m still not sure if I can let go of the last chapter of my life. I am about to turn to the next page, maybe the most abundant one yet, but I’m still scared to death that it means letting go of something I don’t ever want to lose.
Tarot Card Reading
Here’s a summary of the cards, and how she arrived at her conclusion. The first one was the Ace of Pentacles, and Pentacles are Earth cards. The hand is extending a large coin to you, which represents a new opportunity that Earth is granting. It is often associated with great wealth and abundance. The second one was the Three of Pentacles, another Earth card. This represents you working with your people to achieve great things. It represents planning and working together to achieve the abundance that is being offered in the first card. The third card was the Seven of Wands, which is a Fire card. This card indicates that you are becoming much more enviable, and that you will need to be prepared to defend the territory you have gained.
After the reading, we chatted for a bit, and then a couple of other people ventured into the bar inquiring about her cards. Since the hour was getting late, I decided to bid her farewell and let her get to another reading. She definitely left me with something to ponder that night.
Do you believe in fate? Have you ever had a reading from a fortune teller? Do you think belief shapes your future? What’s your sign? Let me know your thoughts, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
I don’t have any earth shattering remarks on how I celebrate holidays. I would say most of them are just another day to me. On a few of the big ones, I try to make the rounds and see a few family members who are still alive. Those are the ones that occur close to the end of the year, namely Christmas and Thanksgiving. Holidays were a very exciting part of my life as a kid, but they really don’t stand out very much to me anymore. I am mostly thankful that I don’t have to work through the holidays. It gives me a chance to let go of all the things I have on my mind and actually relax.
Holiday Celebrations
New Years – Stay up for the countdown. See the show downtown.
Christmas – Leave town to visit family. Eat dinner, usually have sweets.
Thanksgiving – Leave town to visit family. Eat traditional food.
St. Patrick’s Day – Visit an Irish pub. Oh wait, that’s every weekend.
Weekly Celebrations
Monday – All day happy hour at one of the cocktail bars downtown, I’m there!
Tuesday or Thursday – My favorite days to eat out at a nice restaurant, because they are packed on the weekends.
Friday – Visit a few bars downtown, but I’m trying to cut this back so I don’t have a hangover all day Saturday.
Saturday – Visit a couple of my favorite bartenders that work at an Irish pub downtown. Play songs I like on the jukebox.
How do you celebrate? What’s your favorite holiday? Do you celebrate during the week? Do you have certain days of the week or month you do something special? Let me know in the comments, and please like, share, and subscribe!
Excitement is a big word, and to be honest, there isn’t very much that excites me anymore. I suppose the things I do would be exciting to someone who doesn’t get the chance to do them very often. It’s really all about your perspective.
For instance, the other night I was at a local cocktail lounge, and I met a couple there. In conversation, it came up that they were in town celebrating her birthday. It was a special occasion to them because they don’t get to come into the city very often. I live here and frequent all the places downtown. It was exciting to them I’m sure, but just a normal weekend for me.
I have to think back a bit, because nothing exciting has happened recently. The last time I got excited was when a friend of mine called me. I was walking downtown at the time, listening to an audiobook, and my earphones went silent. It was because the call was coming in. It was my best friend that I haven’t talked to in a while. The call didn’t last very long compared to some of our calls, but it was good to hear her voice and catch up a little. I still remember the call every time I walk by the bench where I stood talking to her. I sometimes wonder if she realizes how much that call really meant to me.
Do you live an exciting life? Do you think excitement is in the eye of the beholder? Would you classify getting an unexpected call from a close friend exciting? Let me know in the comments, and please like, share, and subscribe!
Ken's Life 
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