At the park with strangers

So Shiloh and I joined a bunch of other moms and their children from our ward at the park today. It was windy, like it always here, but the sun was shining, and it was almost 70 degrees. Glorious weather for the 1st of March.

We packed our lunch, jackets, and a few other necessities. It felt good to get out of the house, although I was worried about Shiloh's mood, considering he hadn't taken a decent morning nap. He did really well.

When we all first got there, everyone was very nice. They all knew each other and were talking about things that I didn't know about. You know, health problems, so and so's husband was looking for a job and how did his interview go. I was trying to catch up. They kept cluing me in. Very inclusive bunch, but during this first episode, as my mind's eye stepped back from the situation, I felt like I was with strangers. Technically they were strangers. Some of whom, I hadn't even met at church yet.

All of the moms kept running off to help different children with various problems. I had some time to reflect on this whole "everybody I am with right now is a stranger" situation. I kind of felt alone at this moment, surrounded, and yet alone. As I was walking with Shiloh (he was loving holding on to my finger and walking around the pathways at the park) I started to think about each stranger. Each stranger had introduced themselves to me. Each stranger had talked to me and helped clue me into the conversation. Each stranger never once got catty or clique-ish.

I came to a conclusion about the situation: It was a good day to be with strangers. Nice, Kind, Loving strangers, who will still be strangers for a while, until they turn into friends or acquaintances or ward members, but it was good and I shouldn't allow myself to feel alone, when I was surrounded with kindness.

And so I reiterate, it was a good day to be at the park with strangers.