5.06.2011

Getting to know a stranger for a few minutes

After that little talk about singing to my seedlings we went to Mount Holly, NC for a funeral yesterday. After the funeral we stopped at the Feed and Tractor Supply where I met an 82 year old man (there shopping for vegetable plants) named Hoover Radford.

I found out, through a long and interesting conversation, that Mr. Radford believes in talking and singing to plants, too. He also used the phrase, "I'm not trying to convert you or anything" several times, even though the conversation was not a religious one in any aspect.

He also told me how much he loves canning and that he would much rather garden than chase a little ball down a hill.

He seemed to be the kind of guy that never meets a stranger. All of this getting to know each other happened within a 10 minute span, but what an amazing amount you can learn about another person in just a few minutes.


It's something to remember as we enter the weekend, through all those chance encounters you have throughout the weekend, there's an interesting human being behind those stranger's eyes. Even if you don't have a 10 minute conversation, keep that in mind and it can give new light to the bustling world around you.

3 comments:

Julia said...

ha! hoover sounds like a man with some pretty excellent stories up his sleeve.

i love chance encounters like that- i think we all get so wrapped up in ourselves and our own worlds sometimes that we forget to open up to the possibility of meeting someone new, or learning something from a stranger. and then, we miss out on all the hoovers in the world.

Ashley said...

"... There's an interesting human being behind those stranger's eyes."

That goes along the lines of something I've been thinking about lately - how it's so easy for us to dismiss a person because of how they appear on the outside. But the outside is just that: It's simply what carries the real us (the soul) around. How frustrating it must be for elderly or disabled people who are overlooked or ignored (or even mistreated sometimes in nursing homes). They're still a complete person, with a lot to offer, on the inside ... the outside shell is just a little worn or broken.

Sorry for the tangent - you've just got me thinking!

Misti said...

Sounds like the kind of person you'd learn the best tip or trick from! Love talking to people about gardens, especially those who grew a lot of their food growing up. I know a lot of the older generations in my family had to grow their own food to stretch their budget.