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A Tale of Two Tables

I stopped into a little local café for breakfast on a business trip.  The friendly staff said, “Seat yourself!”.  A mask was required to enter, but not to sit at your table. I sat down and a nice gentleman greeted me as I sat. He was alone and sat in silence otherwise. Not one to be his phone or anything of the sorts. Then a couple walks in and finds themselves a seat. It was a bright July morning. The sun shining, air clean, and birds chirping.

Another older gentleman walked in and obviously an old farmer type. We all know and love those types. They have a certain walk, smirk, and demeanor. He had his mask on and it was half covering his face. The nice gentleman sitting alone did not flinch or even change looks as he saw the old farmer walk in. They both exchanged a smile and nod. The other couple seemed to sneer and then glance at each other with a shake of their heads.

I am taking a lot of assumptions in this story. However, I am pretty good at reading people. Their facial expressions and attitudes were easy to read. 

Food arrived and the gentleman alone began eating. A man stopped at his table and chatted. Super friendly conversation. The man seated waited until the other guy left before starting to eat. While he was eating, I got my food. Still eating, the gentleman waved and smiled at a few more people. One young college age student came up to the man to sit and chat about her fears concerning graduation. The man gave her good advice and said to focus on her strengths; it will all work out.

I noticed the other couple continued to sit there with the same sneer on their face. When the young college student got up to leave, she leaned over to give the gentleman a hug. Happily, he hugged her back.  It was a super friendly interaction that made me feel as if there are still good people in the world. The type of people that are loved and admired. In that same moment, I glanced over at the sneering couple to find it humorous to see their priceless looks that had taken over their faces. This is where we are in this country. Which table do you want to sit at in your life? You can be the couple sneering or the friendly demeanor gentleman sitting alone, buy welcoming those with a smile, hug, and genuine hi. The choice is yours. Both actions take effort, but one helps yourself and others. Which table do you want to be?

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” - Marcus Aurelius


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