unexpected conversations

While everyone was sleeping this morning, I walked to the local coffee shop to write today’s note–it was going to be about running straight into the cold water of Lake Michigan instead of tip-toeing the way in.

But then I met Ken while waiting for my iced Americano to be made.

Instead of writing my note, I left my MacBook in its sleeve and talked with Ken about life, his retirement, the vision he had for being a “beach bum” that he is now living, parenting, and sports. It was an extremely enjoyable and unexpected conversation, which I could have easily missed if I had my headphones on or sent out the vibes that I wasn’t interested in talking and that I had work to do.

I’ve had many conversations like the one I had with Ken today, and I know that when someone sparks up a conversation and they are operating from a high frequency, it’s worth letting whatever I was planning on doing to fall back to the back burner.

The RLS Wealth work I was going to knock out can be done before Leo and I go fishing.

This note could be written any time throughout the day (luckily, Leo was still sleeping, so I could take care of it this morning).

Connecting with someone new, briefly learning a little about their life, having a new “coffee” friend for vacation, and being fully present in the moment are more important than tasks that are not urgent.

The next time someone stops to talk with you, and you feel the urge to see where the conversation goes, fight the urge to let what you’re “supposed to be doing” pull you away from a genuine connection with another human being—who knows where that conversation might take you.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC