Small bites

Lunch with the Mayor

-'ve mentioned that there are some things that happen in my life which seem to glare with a certain sense of purpose. Things that just happen that sometimes blow my hair back. Things like asking for things out loud and then having them happen exactly as I asked for them. Then there are other things, things like surprise lunches with mayors which seem random and crazy but then seem to be edged with purpose. Like I was meant to be here. I was meant to be doing this.

I am not a believer in fate, I believe life happens the way its meant to. Sometimes though, it seems like someone's pointing a huge neon sign at something saying "GO HERE".

For example, I've mentioned the Light Keepers. What's cool about it, aside from my fantasizing about it constantly is the fact that everyone I meet seems to be supportive of the idea. It's become a pet project of mine that I think about regularly.

I went to lunch the other day with my husband to go see an old coworker of his. My expectation of what I'd find was not even on the same planet as what was waiting for me. I've pictured in my head a group of young teenagers who like to party and drink, who are all planning to drink with lunch. When we got there, it looked like a bridge club full of 60'ish folks who were out having a very decent lunch at a beloved place.
I was introduced to this group of folks and immediately ordered a drink (an Otterpop) with my biscuits and gravy. This caused an uproar because who drinks liquor with biscuits and gravy? Who has biscuits and gravy for lunch? I mentioned i was from Texas and it was such a delight for these women to talk to someone from Texas. How did I get here? What was I doing?

It was during this conversation that the "How everybody knows everybody" conversation came up. The connection wasn't immediately apparent. Matthew worked with Lou, who was friends with others at the table. Lou was married to Carl Maxey. He was spoken about with such reverence that half the conversation was spent talking about how great he was, this man I had never heard of. Turns out, he was kinda famous. He was Spokane's first prominent black civil rights attorney in the 70's. He is credited with single handedly desegregating the northwest. And here I was having lunch with his widow.

Then if that wasn't cool enough, the lady I held a majority of my conversations with while we were there, turns out to be the former mayor of Spokane. Sheri S. Barnard of 1990-1994. A woman who after lunch, was going down to the courthouse to deliver a card and a letter for the current mayor of Spokane who just lost her reelection. Because she knew how much she was going to need some comfort after the loss. The sad reality that the dreams you'd planned to impliment in the next few years were going to vanish with the enterance of the next leader.

So here I am - ASTOUNDED that I've chanced upon this random meeting of two very cool people - and they were just as fascinated with me. It makes me laugh.

Then, they asked me what I planned to do after school, immediately the Light Keepers came to mind. I was informed by Ms. Barnard that I should run for office. I laughed and said that I might be pretty busy. Then she asked what I'd be doing. So I casually, gently mentioned my pet project. When I gave her the run down, what I have of it so far, she looked me square in the eye and said "Go talk to Cecile, Ann Richards daughter. She's the one you need to talk to." For those of you who don't know, Ann Richards was the 45th Governor of Texas. This woman casually mentioned someone HUGE as if I could just call her up and tell her my project.

Sometimes - its hard not to think that there's something big out there, telling people where to go, if they're brave enough to go there.

And it was all by chance. All because Lou liked to bus tables at the casino where my husband works.