beautiful.

Barista-customer conversations are never really anything to be remembered. It's usually conversations about the weather or recent local sport scandals [new basketball coach eh?]. Needless to say, I've never had significant encounters with customers as a barista that were worth blogging about... until today.

Gosh. Today if ANY day would have been an easy one to make weather-related-small-talk. On this day we had rain, storm, sun, and hail. Within 4 hours. Welcome to Oregon i guess. So I had a conversation starter ready for the next person to walk in the door.

It was an older couple [late 40's maybe?], they were both wearing sunglasses and the woman was wearing a wicker backpack like the ones they sell at the saturday market. so e.u.g.

This was how the convo went down:

Kaitlin: "So did you guys get a chance to be outside today? IT's been pretty crazy huh?"

[medium-length [yet still awkward] pause]

Man: What do you wanna be when you grow up? What are your goals?

[surprised pause]

Kaitlin: Oh, umm... well my major is education, because I hope to be a primary teacher, and i'm minoring in spanish because I hope to support native spanish speaking students in the U.S., and maybe go overseas and teach abroad... i don't really have a plan yet i guess. I just know i wanna teach kids.

Man: Hmm... well what do you believe in?

Kaitlin: Uh....... love i guess. I believe in loving and compassion and having belief in people. I believe in salvation and forgiveness. I believe in potential, for everyone and everything.

Man: What's your hardest inner obstacle you have to face in your life?

Kaitlin: Ummm.. [this one took more thought] i guess it would be judgement. i don't think i'd call myself a judgmental person, but i would definitely say i falter and i wish i wouldn't. So.. ya.

Man: So you believe in potential for everyone, but your biggest inner battle is judgement?

Alright... so at this point i think crap, this guys good. I was pretty proud of my response though.

Kaitlin: Well, ya i guess that's the whole point in believing in something isn't it? Something that you strive to achieve every single day... I mean I could say I believe in potential and equality, but if I don't strive to be better at it every single day, would that really be me practicing my faith? [i paused for a second, to rewind in my head and actually see if that made any sense at all]

then i continued...

"I'm not naive in saying that i am what i believe. I think this is

unrealistic, and not really a way to live. I want to believe in a

bigger part of myself. I want to believe in people that might never exist.

That way, i never stop growing. I never stop searching.

I never stop believing."

Man: "You are a beautiful person, Kaitlin."

HOLY CRAP! In no more than 2 minutes, a stranger helped me realize more about myself than anyone I know. I want this for myself. Not just today. But tomorrow, and the next day, and forever.

Let's all try this.

Let's shoot for the moon.