Onward and Awkward!

a) never met a wild swan in their life

or

Sometimes

we want flowers

so

we plant seeds.

Sometimes

wild flowers

(let others call them weeds)

creep

into our hearts

slowly

and take root

and,

(when we least expect it)

disclaimer* I don’t actually know if the other person in this story is a man, but my assumption that he was is important to the context of the story. 

scene: I am a young woman just out of college. I get an office job. It is a dreary, wet Monday in November and I don’t want to be awake this early, let alone have to go to work. so I put on a bright, cheerful shirt to try to make myself feel better

I get to work. after a couple of hours I take my 15 minute break and head to the bathroom. on my way I pass a man who has probably been working there since before I was born. we do the nod and half smile of two coworkers who don’t know each other sharing the same hallway. 

just as we are almost done passing each other he turns more towards me and says, “hey”

I was at this point a little concerned about how awkward this might become

“I like your shirt”

ok, not bad, could still get weird, but... “thanks”

“It reminds me of spring”

oh. wow!

“me too, that’s why I picked it!”

then we go on our separate ways and I feel good that my shirt made someone happy

So the other day my dad was playing USA Today’s Daily Crossword and found this...

Are we going mainstream now?

(Image ID: screenshot of part of a crossword. 19-across is 4 letters, prompt is “Aqua-skinned creature in Tamora Pierce’s “Wolf-Speaker.” End ID)

Bonus: