"Goodbye, have a beautiful weekend."

I was sitting at the laundromat waiting for my wash to finish, when the lady employee said this to me on her way out. I guess the quick 10 minutes I had stepped in and chatted with her were her last 10 minutes of work.

She was a middle-aged Mexican lady and with a pleasant Spanish accent; something that I've grown to be really fond of. 

Maybe her choosing "beautiful" was something lost in translation because she had said it so casually, but I'm sure that's why it was so striking to me. Is it weird that hearing her bid me a "beautiful" weekend, as opposed to the platitude of a "good" one, with that accent, was so uplifting? 

My spirits have been a little broken as of late. I've been having a bit of a rough month with work, with my personal life, with the things happening in the personal lives of my loved ones. 

I came to the laundromat after a long day at work-- which was a cumulation of a long week-- weary and teary eyed.  

But that lady's goodbye was a beautiful thing to hear. It's amazing how the smallest, shortest kind words can be exactly what I need to calm down and press forward.

If anything, it may have been her accent. A few of my favorite people at work have that accent. And because of these humbly luminous people, I associate the Spanish lilt with nothing but familial love, warmth, and genuine affection. 

It's amazing how fast the human mind can link those associations and, in turn, how the heart can latch onto them and rejuvenate its spirit.

I have good people around me and even kind strangers and they inspire me to be likewise. And at the end of a long, shitty day or long, shitty week, those people and the positivity they lend are infinitely more resilient.

 

Chin up, everyone.