Made my day

I was already feeling stressed out today. I had an exam tomorrow that I hadn't finished studying for and homework that I hadn't finished, period. On top of all that, I tried to make spaghetti for lunch only to realize that I wouldn't have time to make it AND eat it before I had to go to work. In the end, I had to scrap lunch, do a bit of my homework, and then frantically walk the mile to campus to just make it in time for lunch. I only had a pear (yes, the fruit) for lunch so, by the time I arrived at work I was tired, stressed, famished, and sweating from the exertion of having to walk so fast. I really thought I was going to burn out or just lose it and yell at somebody, but a wonderful thing happened instead--my day got better. I had quirky, upbeat customers, my roommate came by to say hi and visit me, and my coworkers spent the time talking about sex. (yes, talking about sex, you read it right).

You know how I love little, simple pleasures in life, right? Well, have you ever met someone and when they told you their name, it's just the perfect name for them? That happened to me today. A customer in line came up. Tall, lanky, and blond, he wore a lime green shirt and had a long skateboard propped up in one hand. I took one look at him and thought, "That guy must have an interesting name." When I asked him his name so I could write on his drink order, he said, "Ben." For some reason, I broke out into a smile. A genuine smile, not the fake one you have to give customers out of politeness. While Ben was a fairly common name and I wasn't expecting it, the name seemed to fit him anyway. It fit this mild-mannered stranger with the skateboard and this little exchange altered the course of my day.

What's better was that I ended up finishing my homework, studying for my exam, and going to sleep before 1 a.m. (an accomplishment for me). Now I'm going to stop with my delirious ramblings.