Conversations repeating in my head

I have a few random conversations from the last couple of days that keep repeating in my head and making me smile.

The first was with my pastor's wife.  She told me that one day last week she drove past me on my scooter on a day it was raining.  She was going to pull over and offer me a ride when she noticed that I was singing.  She left me alone to my joy but told me that it brought so much joy to her as well.  

In my scooter rides yesterday as I replayed that conversation, I thought of all the times I have caught myself smiling, singing, or laughing to myself as I go about my day.  I had never thought about the impact it might have on others.  At times, I actually wondered if I looked a bit crazy to the outside world - although, this wonder was never great enough to stop my joy.

The second conversation was with my choir director.  He was sharing some Atlanta recommendations with me and asked where I was going to live.  When I explained where, he exclaimed, "You are going to live at "X street" and "Y street"!  That's a gay man's dream!"

Then as I was retelling this conversation to my colleague, I told her that I may face a little culture shock when I move.  She agreed that I probably would.  I responded "I hope so" with a big smile.  She returned my smile and said "me too".

There was a time in my life where I believed I was not a city girl.  After our year in central Wisconsin, I decided I was definitely not a rural girl either.  I believed I felt most comfortable in a suburban city.  It's what I grew up with.  It's what was most familiar, I suppose.  And my ex-husband probably influenced that belief.  The more we met his wants, the less he complained and his complaining got really old over the years.

It kept me pretty sheltered for the first four decades of my life.  

Birmingham felt like the first step out of that shelter (aside from my brief college study abroad experience) and it has been such a positive experience.  As I type this I reflect on my evening last night learning dances from Guinea, West Africa with someone native to that country.  

I suspect Atlanta will be an even bigger step out of that shelter.  And I'm really excited about that.