You Just Never Know

You Just Never Know--

The line was short.  Only the two of us.  She was finishing her business, and I was next.  As she stepped to the side so I could move forward, she stopped.  Looking me straight in the eye, she said she hated bras.

Nothing much surprises me anymore, but this did catch me off guard.  Before I could reply, she continued with her observations about bras.  Her bras straps slide off her shoulders, she said.  She often finds herself shoving her hand inside her clothing in an effort to pull the straps back onto her shoulders.  And when that is accomplished, the back of the bra has ridden up her back.  So she has to reach around and tug and pull to get it into place.  By this time I was almost doubled over laughing.

She was a small woman.  Probably in her 70's.  She wore jeans, a light blue sweater and white shirt.  Her gray hair was cut in a stylish short bob.  As she spoke, her eyes sparkled.  We were having a great moment.  Women who had experienced the same frustrations.  We were on the same page.

I asked her if she had been fitted for the right bra.  Yes, she had.  She said it made no difference whether she wore an expensive bra or a cheap one. The result was always the same.  Nothing fit.

Before we parted company, she said she was seriously thinking about taking that garment off and laying it on a counter right there in the store.  Then she added that it was time she joined the feminist movement.  We were both laughing as she walked away.

I love those unexpected moments.  When we are open to life, others sense that.  Maybe it is the look in our eyes, or the way we move.  Maybe it is an openness others sense in us.  Whatever it is, I hope I always have it.  It would have been such a shame to have missed that moment.  She walked into my space for a moment and left such a great memory.

As I walked through the store, I fully expected to see a bra laying on a counter, and a woman in a soft blue sweater happily walking toward the front door.