Beautiful Things

Despite the fact that Florida is absolutely uninhabitable (from the perspective of anyone who is single and gay, or just averse to sweating or mosquitoes), there are some very beautiful things in and about it. And by "some," I may just mean the weather. I'm still deciding.

Anyway... a beautiful thing:

I was reading for class (inefficiently, so don't romanticize the experience too much) on the covered sidewalk of one of the numerous local Starbucks. The air was tepid (the good kind of tepid), and the sun was full of pre-setting prettiness. Very fabulous. Very beautiful. I went to use the tinkle palace in Starbucks. And of course, I had a long face on...mostly because it accentuates my cheekbones and lengthens my face in a flattering way, but also because smiling seemed a little too naive and pollyanna for the situation.

On my way into the store, this old woman (I LOVE old women!) looks at me and says, "smile!" It was so sweet. First of all, it was sweet because it was implicitly followed by a "you have such a pretty face, so it's a shame that you're not smiling" (little did she know, my face is much less pretty when smiling). Needless to say, I'm quick to take compliments - explicit and implicit - to heart. But it was also sweet because this wonderful old woman clearly appreciated the beauty of the tableau. Very fabulous. Very beautiful. I was definitely grinning all the way to the tinkle palace.