Sometimes, a little goes a long way

I'm a Colts fan. So it comes as no surprise that I had some celebrating to do when they made a comeback to beat the Patriots Sunday night. Nothing too crazy, mind you, just a drink or two with the new boy.

So, since I had been at home (screaming at the tv) all evening, I decided to head over to Ballard to meet up with new boy and his sister (who I met last week) and some of their fishing buddies. They told me to meet up with them at the bar where all fishermen drown their sorrows....a place called The Old Pequliar.











There were definitely some characters in this place. And of course ALL of them were drunk (including new boy's sister).

There was a quiet-looking girl sitting all by herself at the end of the bar. She was definitely buzzing, but just sitting there reading a book in the middle of the drunken chaos that was this bar. I noticed her after sitting in there for just a little while, but then went about my business of chatting and having a drink. Well, new boy's drunk sister wanted me to go outside with her while she smoked so she didn't have to stand out there alone. So, I bundled up and headed out for a few minutes. When we got out there, I recognized quiet girl again...only now she was sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus, but weeping.

It didn't appear to be drunk weeping either. Now....things like this worry me. I've been in what has felt like the depths of despair before in my life, and it's a hard hole to climb out of, so seeing someone upset like this brings back vivid memories of how things look and feel when a person feels completely lost.

I excused myself to new boy's sister and told her she could go back inside, that I was going to walk over and have a little chat with quiet girl. I sat down, said hello, and just voiced my little concern over noticing that she was upset. She started explaining the circumstances...apparently she just had a huge falling out with her best friend. Since this friend was normally the person she would talk to about these type of things, she said she didn't feel like she had anyone to turn to, so she came to drown in her own sorrows at the bar. (She started getting a little more open to chatting as time passed...what a couple of beers will do for your honesty, I suppose!)

The more we chatted, the less she cried. It was getting cold, so I offered for her to come back inside and sit with our crowd for a bit and be social. She did, and before I left for the night, she was indeed smiling again. I gave her my cell phone number in case she just needed someone to talk to (who knows if she will ever use it, but what could it hurt, right?). It might not have solved all of her problems, but I'm glad that the conversation seemed to ease her mind, if only for a little while.

I've been in her shoes before for sure, and I know that a little bit of kindness and consideration can go a long way. And as selfish as it sounds, it made ME feel better knowing that her night might not have ended up as badly as she thought it was going to.

Song of the day: "The Ocean" The Bravery (cause it sounds like what she was feeling)