Posted on 10/18/2025 5:57:46 AM PDT by Twotone
I had a gentleman approach me while I was attending to a door and giving directions to attendees at my daughters volleyball game. He walked up and started talking with me, not in a weird way either, We talked for about 15 minutes, education, music, art, customer service etc. It was like talking with an old acquaintance. It was such a notable encounter that I chalked it up to a brush with something supernatural.
If you ever want someone to just tell you about themselves ad infiniutum just ask them. Havent met anyone that doesnt like talking about themselves, especially themselves.
As a young man I was borderline homeless, living on a boat I worked on in Oakland. In the winter, it got cold. The guy who owned it was tight for money, so at times I went hungry until I was paid. So I hung out at a local Sambo’s Restaurant, where the room had heat and coffee was 10 cents. Learned a lot about people at that counter.
“”It was such a notable encounter that I chalked it up to a brush with something supernatural.””
***
An encounter with someone you already have known. It’s just that you’re not supposed to know that you already know them. Sometimes it’s hard to miss. And sometimes... it’s that they know you, but there’s no ‘logical’ way for that to be the case. That’s how it works with spiritual life. You may not remember everything, but you do get a sense of that memory.
Yours sounds like a fascinating story.
The Great Thinkers from many professions used to meet regularly at the local pub......................
I would have expected him to ask if I know Jesus and try to convert me.
Nice tale, I miss interesting people,
You must have been close to Jack London Square if you were hanging out at the Sambo’s I’m recalling....
“I’d be willing to bet that is an artificial story.”
Yes, reminds me of my radical neighbor who said we needed to have a “conversation’ last Halloween at a party. The “conversation” was her talking for 20 minutes straight about how bad Trump is and never mentioning Harris because the election in her view was ONLY about one thing, “character”. Policy was irrelevant.
They think they are getting sneaky now.
Interesting Ellis approached single women (the least threatening).
I was sitting in a Starbucks the other day... says a lot right there.
“I was sitting in a Starbucks...”
Real conservatives don’t spend their hard-earned money at Starbucks.
I went to Starbucks once. And I’m a conservative. That was in the 20th century.
I knocked on every single door in this little low class community, with up to 3 visits if needed so that I could personally speak to every household when I moved here, and started the first annual community event to break these odd loners out of their isolated shells.
I have new socks on.
That’s a very sad response. We wonder why the world is becoming so cold, untrusting and divisive, now we have a hint. Why would your first response to someone wanting to talk to you be so dismissive? How depressing. It wouldn’t hurt to entertain his request. It wouldn’t take long to figure out his motives. If he just wanted to talk, you might learn something, if he was selling something or was just a jerk you could always end the conversation. Hopefully, politely.
I am reasonably good at reading body language and can take a good guess at someone’s motive in less than five seconds.
I can be very polite and friendly or mean and nasty—as called for in the specific situation.
When I was younger, Just sitting in a bus terminal, or waiting at a dock for the launch to take me back to the training ship, I have had people approaching me who were miserable and thinking of suicide. I think I did well. In fact I think one of them actually got Satan pissed at me for saving him.
You are needed in my neighborhood.
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