But how have you felt?

I’m thinking about doing a couple more horses, but I find myself stalling out. Stymied. Almost flowered out. I want to make them all white, or natural, really, because this is my 100% wool. On the other hand, I have the same red wool/whatever blend I’ve made the hearts out of. White with a blue mane? Purple? I can’t decide. I need HELP.

The other day I was wandering around Sam’s Club, looking for—what was I looking for? Just a few things. Not the pizza I ended up with, certainly. Some mushrooms? At any rate, while I was wandering I passed two people—an asian couple, strolling the wide aisles of the bakery section as you might down a Paris street on a sweet evening.

He was thin and gray haired. Intelligent looking. She, perhaps a little older than I am, had one arm through his, and in the crook of the other carried a large, flat bubble pack—she carried it like a formal bouquet, a bouquet of swirly light bulbs. She looked—content. Happy. Quietly in love.

I found myself across from them at the check-out chutes. They had their two things. I had my eight, and no one behind me. The person in front of them had five hundred things. So I waved at them, insisting that they come get in line ahead of me. So they came to my side of the check out – but they wouldn’t hear of getting in front of me. We stood in line for those few moments, smiling at each other. I asked her where she was from; she said, “Originally, from Japan.” Easily heard in her lilting accent. I’d thought so. “My daughter loves Japan,” I said. “She lived there. She speaks beautiful Japanese.”

And then I paid for my things, waiting for the moment. Waiting for the moment. And then it came. It was all in my cart, and I was ready to go. I turned to her and said, in my very best, but still awful accent, “Arigatou gozaimas.” With the correct hint at a bow.

She beamed at me, as kind Japanese people always seem to do, and said something – which I’m betting was really really nice. Then here I was, smiling and nodding and feeling very good, and totally ignorant.

And that’s all. That’s the whole story. One moment of daring fun. It was nice.