Tuesday, January 6, 2009

I LOVE STORIES

(That will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me...)

I also sometimes make assumptions about people when I meet them, or 'pre-judge' them ... based on ... who knows what? I know sometimes that's human nature, but I don't like it when I do it. So let this blog entry be my public apology for this particular time!

Yesterday a woman came in to the store and wandered and browsed for quite awhile, while I was busy with other customers. The thing is, she was a soldier, probably a fairly high-ranking one, in full armed forces uniform ... and it seemed an odd juxtaposition to me at the time. Maybe it's just me, but Knotty by Nature is wood... and brick... and warmth... and color... and texture, and the music in the background is a gentle tribal beat or soft classical, generally. It seemed quite a contrast!

Anyway, she eventually came to the till with her purchase -- a hand spindle -- and we got chatting, of course. And then she told me this story (and I may not have the details exactly right, and being a story-teller myself I may have already embellished it a bit, but ... bear with me):

"Several years ago," she said, "I was deployed to the Persian Gulf."

"I took my spindle with me, of course."

"When I unpacked in the barracks, I was a little nervous about who I'd have as a room-mate."

"But I knew we'd get along just fine ... when I saw *her* unpack her portable loom!"

WOW. That woman has no idea, but I was blown away and almost in tears by the time she walked out the door. First, because of my narrow pre-conceived notions about military personnel ... and secondly, because of the story itself. What were the odds of that happening??

3 comments:

Anita said...

Good story! You just never know... :)

Karen said...

Oh Marilyn - how special! Thank you for sharing.....

Kath said...

Oh you'd be amazed at the things people will do to entertain themselves while deployed. My friend's husband learned to crochet granny squares when he was in the Navy and at sea for many months!