I love Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Dropping Em off at school, I head to Starbucks, laptop in hand, no internet connection available, to me, because I can't figure out how to make it work.
A table in the corner, where I can observe all that is going on around me should I choose. . .
. . .and let's be honest. I'm a qualitative sociologist.
I choose to observe in those moments when thoughts seem stuck in neutral.
My visit Wednesday morning was particularly productive.
Thoughts flying from brain to finger tips, showing up in black and white on my laptop screen.
Inevitably, however, I hit a wall.
And that's when, in neutral, I observe.
Stuck in neutral, I look up from my screen and see a pair of four year old eyes looking back at me.
Hair shoulder length, curls wild around her head, dimples framing a engaging and enticing smile.
Dancing eyes.
And then she pulls up a chair at my table and sits across from me.
Well.
I was intrigued.
Who wouldn't be.
Her mother, of course, told her she couldn't sit there.
Mom was waiting for her Starbucks, a younger child happily ensconced in a stroller.
I told her it was fine.
Absolutely fine.
I asked her how old she was.
Four! she replied.
And will you be starting school next year?
Yes! And, she said, I can count to twenty.
And then she did.
I was having a ball.
Most intriguing conversation I had all day to that point.
Of course, Starbucks doesn't take long to prepare their delicious, albeit sugar laden drinks, and within a couple of minutes my conversation partner was waving at me as she exited the coffee shop.
And I was no longer in neutral.
I should talk with four year olds more often.
Lucrative for the writing process.
Inviting others to engage in peace is exhausting work.
Not that I did much of anything, outside of being the official videographer/photographer for yesterday's events.
Stephen and our peace-minded colleagues did all the heavy lifting.
The focal point of our Peace Day celebrations was the unveiling of the STU Peace Pole.
In the upper courtyard, keeping watch over STU activities, casting it's message of peace in four languages to the four points of the compass.
An invitation to all who walk past it, who pause to take in its message, to think about what a peaceful, non-violent world, absent of conflict and war, would look like.
After Stephen unveiled the Peace Pole there were some invited speakers and then a call to all those in the audience who spoke a language other than those held by the Peace Pole, to come forward and share a peaceful message in their language.
Peace messages in Greek, Macedonian, Latin, Czechoslovakian, Dutch, Spanish, are just a few examples of the messages shared with the 130+ crowd gathered to mark this very special occasion.
Afterwards, there was aboriginal drumming, followed by a children's choir, whose young, clear voices sang songs of peace both contemporary and traditional.
A senior's choir sang songs reminding us of conflicts past and how they were overcome, but remain in our collective memory in hopes that the tragedies and traumas will not be
repeated.
Peace really does bring people together.
Peace messages abounding, filling the air, I still had to march onward with my day. After taking pictures and videos until 1.25, I dashed to my office, wolfed down a sandwich in a manner similar to how Frankie eats before my meeting at 1.30.
Followed by my three three hour crime in film class from 2.30-5.30.
Which was about the only break I had that day.
Two hours watching Rod Steiger and Sidney Poiter masterful in In the Heat of the Night was a welcome and necessary pause in what was otherwise turning out to be a chaotic day.
After class, home for a very quick supper of wild rice, salmon and baby carrots and we were off again, attending the Peace Cafe from 7.00-9.00. By the time we arrived home, greeted our fur bearing posse, and headed for bed, I was barely able to keep my eyes open long enough to chat with Em while she waited for her laundry to dry.
I don't remember her leaving.
Title Lyric: Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon
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