The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 041

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Recipients:

The Founders of Funky Town, Platt Park

A Sunday stroll, a warm day, a detour toward the farmer's market.

Two people a block ahead, walking in the same direction. 

The woman stops,  takes a picture of the base of a tree, continues walking. Curious.

When I get to that tree I look down and laugh loud enough for the lady to turn around.

"Now I see why you took a picture," I call to her. We both laugh.

Fairy gardens are new to me; I don't remember seeing them prior to moving to this neighborhood. There are a lot of adorable, imaginative, sparkly little fairy gardens in my neck of the woods but this one takes the cake by virtue of the sign.

So, if someone asks you to take them to Funky Town, let me know. 

It's right in Platt Park. I can give you directions.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 040

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Recipient:

Kahlil @ the Denver Botanic Gardens

He was sitting on a bench with an older lady, sketching in the shade, and glimpsing what he had created literally stopped me in my tracks. The beauty and delicacy just cracked me open. I had to go over and say something. They said thanks, and the lady added, "Oh, I guess I'm kind of used to it," which I took to mean that since his drawings are a fact of life for her, she forgets how other people react to them. We wished each other good day, and I kept walking. My intention was to leave the garden but my mind was snagged on that sketchbook. I sat down and wrote out the award.

When I went back to the bench, they were gone.

Well, that's that. Maybe I will just take a picture of the award and leave it in the garden somewhere. Hopefully the Universe will carry the energy of the message to him, wherever he is.

However, Serendipity was on the job, and I spotted them on my way toward the exit. Flagged them down and brought them up to speed. The lady was nice enough to introduce us and Kahlil let me take a picture of his drawing. 

He wants to get into Denver School of the Arts someday.

Kahlil, I hope that happens for you.

And if not, I hope you will continue to create art for yourself, for as long as it continues to bring you alive.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 039

Friday, September 17, 2021

Recipient:

Alyssa on Delta flight to LGA

Our first interaction on the flight came after her sub sandwich slipped off her lap and landed on the floor between us in an explosion of vegetables.

She apologized. 

I said it was OK, and helped scoop up the mess.

This could have been the end of the story. She had headphones. I had a crossword puzzle. We could have flown from DIA to LaGuardia in friendly silence.

But because I am me and would rather not miss out on a chance to chat with someone if they're game, I extended my standard offer: Talk, not talk, it's up to you, and it's all good.

What a lovely person she turned out to be. Smart, caring, beautiful, committed to the betterment of others. I found out she worked for a social service agency in Denver as well as having a part-time gig at a bridal shop, which was a nice complement to her other work which could be serious and heart-breaking. She talked about wanting to combine her love of fashion and beauty and her desire to help other women get to a better place in life. She talked about her mother and her aunt, both important figures in her life. We swapped music and book recommendations. As we continued to talk, I kept thinking, "She's such a dynamic person who has so much on the ball. I can see her making real change in the world. I hope she has people around her who will tell her that, and encourage her."

Well, she did.

And I did.

Wherever you are, Alyssa, I hope all went well in New York.

Also:

May you be happy. 

May you be healthy.

May you be safe.

May you find deep joy.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 037, No. 038

Friday, August 20, 2021

Recipients:

Elouise & Sean (her Dad) / server Rick @ Uno Mas, Platt Park

Foreword

I am writing this *95 days* after the fact. 

A recipe for disaster, under normal circumstances.

I have pictures of the award. Something is written underneath "For". Theoretically I know why I gave it in the first place. However, it's a far cry from knowing the emotional context, which makes the writing part of this process easier. Oh, this is the same kind of recall-related hubris that kept me from writing names and dates on pictures I had taken during college. I see these people every day, some part of my brain must have said. How could I possibly forget? Ha.

Thankfully, we had an idea on our walk home from the restaurant.

Mike and I decided to park ourselves on a nearby bench and take a few moments to record ourselves on his phone describing what happened. The audio diary captured details I had forgotten about in the intervening weeks. Better still, it preserved our amusement and delight in a way that typing information into my notes app couldn't have done. Listening to it now is a joyful experience. (Our couple-speak, finishing each other's sentences, and the audible smooch at the end preserved for posterity is the cherry on top.)

~  ~  ~

The Rest of the Story

We were seated at one end of a picnic table; our neighbors at the other end were a guy with a little girl we presumed was his daughter. She was about six years old, adorable, blond with green eyes, and -- we were to find out soon enough -- not afraid of talking to strangers.

Elouise ("with a U, because I'm unique") began the conversation with a sincere endorsement of the quesadillas, which she noticed Mike had also ordered. It just got better from there.

"My dad makes me the *best* margaritas." Sean quickly clarified that the ones he made for her were alcohol-free.

"It took us longer than we thought [to visit the restroom] because then Dad had to go, too."

Our waiter, Rick, won us over with his willingness to play along as well as getting our food to the table with impressive speed for a busy Friday night. When Elouise used the term "fast food", Rick took the opportunity to educate her, saying it was quality food served fast, which is different.

The most snort-worthy moment came when Elouise told Rick that her drink was the best drink ever, which pleased him greatly as he had made it himself. He mentioned that it came with free refills and he could give them one to go. Dad quickly said, "Nooooo, no, that's OK," as we teasingly chastised Rick for breaking the commandment, "Thou shalt not offer the six year old more sugary drinks before bedtime."

We could not have been more entertained.

Bonus: As we were walking out, another diner who had observed the merriment and award-giving stopped us to say how uplifting it was to witness, especially during these times, and encouraged me to keep being me. Not necessary, not the point of the exercise, and also still nice to hear.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 036

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Recipients:

Maritza and company @ Café Castro, Santa Fe

When you're famished, sleep-deprived and unsettled, a little customer service goes a long way.
When you're the recipient of a lot of customer service, it feels like a downright blessing.

We had driven to Albuquerque on a Monday morning with the boys to see the Foo Fighters in Albuquerque that evening. While it was fun, and the boys did pretty well considering they'd never spent that much time in the car in one go, it was a *long* day. Tuesday was all relaxation at the B&B (thank heavens), and now we were capping the trip with a highly anticipated stop in Santa Fe to check out Meow Wolf.

The boys had entered in a veritable lather to see the sights, and emerged fairly freaked out. On top of that, we were all experiencing hunger verging on nausea. It's in this unfortunate state that we stumbled into the restaurant and were greeted by Maritza, the host.

Some people simply have a nice energy. They shine. You can feel their open-heartedness when you come within three feet of them. That's an apt description of Maritza. She and the rest of the crew got us seated and had our orders placed with incredible warmth and speed. They were solicitous without being overbearing and even seemed to anticipate our needs before we had a chance to think about them. (One of the servers appeared at the table with a clean fork literally seconds after Isaac dropped his. It was like magic.)

We received comfort food and care, which is exactly what we needed, and for which we were heartily grateful.