I have a favorite store at the mall, Mystic Crow. I first went in because it looked interesting and then I found the stickers. I have loved stickers since my pre-teen days. Those were the days where the sold albums to store your stickers, but an old shoe box was just fine with me. I still have some of them (sticky long since gone) but I digress… back to the Crow.

This store is a giant melting pot of antiques, mystic, and support. It has old plates and soy melts that the owner makes himself (currently melting ‘cleansing’ if you were wondering, ‘balance’ is next on the docket), I find the most unusual things here and the best gifts for others (ok and for me also). Some of his products support the Trevor Project.

I went in for stickers, like I had mentioned, and found another few, ok 10 things. Yes, some were gifts for others. Because I apparently have become my mother as I have gotten older, I mentioned how much I loved his store and how he had the perfect blend of ‘leaving knowing I had not seen everything, but I never get claustrophobic’. He smiled and said he had been doing it for a bit.

“So how did you get started? Closet pack rat?” (See I told you I was channeling my mom)

And he tells me. For the next 15 minutes he tells me the whole story of how he got to where he is now. And it is fabulous. And it is his story to tell, not mine. To quote the Princess Bride “there is too much, let me sum up”. He trained as a chef, life threw him some curveballs that he caught and said, well ok. Maybe this. He taught himself things, the world taught him others and he is flabbergasted at where things stand now, in a good way.

I mentioned to him that more than a few years ago, I started trying to embrace the idea that I really was not in control of a whole lot. It was more my job to be kind and help others. The rest would work itself out. It was my job, however, to look for opportunities to make the world better. His eyes lit up and he said yes, yes exactly. We then both laughed and agreed it took us a bit longer than it should to figure that out but maybe our kids are in a better place because of that.

I left today with my bag of goodies (most ARE gifts for others lol) and a feeling of peace. I get so caught up somedays in the negative headlines and I forget there ARE more people like me (and you who is reading this also) and I need to make my introverted self lean into the potential for conversations and meetings like this.