Musings Over Coffee: A Mini-Vacation and Telling A Stranger She’s Beautiful

So my October has been a bit busy. Besides wasting four weeks trying to rewrite a book, I went on a mini-vacation last week. I left the DH and kid and went on my own to Houston to visit my brothers and my mom who flew in from New York to house-sit while my other brother and his wife are touring Europe. At first, I thought I could actually do some work (ha!) but that was wishful thinking. My older brother packed the itinerary so full of sights to see and things to do that the only time I finally got to write was during the flight home.

During my trip to Houston and then San Antonio, I got to try out Whataburger for the first time. It’s supposed to be Texas’ answer to California’s In ‘n Out. We also visited Mission de San Jose and even attended mass since it was about to go on when we arrived. It was a beautiful ceremony and you could tell just how close-knit the community is. We also went to Mission Concepcion, took a cruise tour at River Walk where we sat down to enjoy a Tex-Mex dinner afterward. The Alamo was one of the highlights and there was so much to learn about it even if the church most people consider the Alamo is only part of the entire thing. We also checked out the Tower of the Americas on the day they were having Zombie Day and at the top, the wind whipped my hair into a mini-tornado at one point. Whatever curls I had were all gone by the time we went back down.

It was a fun trip and so-needed. I’ve been able to think more clearly about my life and my career going forward. And yesterday, I even told a stranger she was beautiful.

She came into the donut shop where LilDude and I were having a nice donut outing after picking him up from school. Blonde, fair skin, with a deep mature voice, she came in to pick up some donuts and spoke with the owner for a while. The whole time I kept looking at her without being too obvious. She had classic features that reminded me of Grace Kelly or Katherine Hepburn, with a defined jaw and cheekbones.

For a brief moment, I could even see her in one of my books. Older heroine, knows what she wants, and ready for a brand new beginning.

When LilDude and I left the donut shop and walked toward the corner, she was in her car, waiting for an opening to cross the street and drive the other way. When she asked us if we needed her to back up so we could walk on the sidewalk, I shook my head before realizing it was the same woman. Then, in a now or never moment, I just about yelled, “You’ve very beautiful!”

She looked surprised then she smiled almost sheepishly. She thanked me and said it was such a nice thing to say before an opening on the road presented to her and she went on her way. To say it was cathartic for me is an understatement. Looking back now, it may have had something to do with hearing my mother constantly say during my vacation that she was ugly. Again and again, she kept saying it even when I told her she wasn’t ugly at all until I gave up arguing with her and felt sad that she felt that way.

And maybe it’s because of that holding back so much that had me stepping out of my comfort zone. Sometimes you just need to tell someone just how beautiful they are for no reason at all… other than it’s true.