// 13th November 2016 //
On this day, I picked up my mostly disused camera and drove, with a friend, to a lake near to our homes. We found our way from footpath to footpath, walking on ground we'd never set foot on before. We were greeted with the sight of beautiful transitions from Autumn to Winter.
There was one footpath in particular that grabbed our attention. As we walked across the frequently trodden grass, I wondered who might've walked this path before and where they were now. The path seemed to go on forever, the only thing keeping us from turning back was our curiosity about the small house at the end. But before we reached that small holding, a lady in a red coat appeared from the gate ahead. She'd been walking a while, trying to find her way to the lake. She was staying in a hotel not far from where we were. We gave her some *fairly accurate* directions back towards the lake, and let her know how stunning it was looking. She went on her way.
We walked to the end of the path, saw nothing special, heard the nearby traffic speeding past, and turned back to the peaceful fields. Now we were following the lady who we'd not long sent up the path we'd just walked. She stopped around the corner, taking in the views of the lake and the silhouetted trees. We soon caught up with her, and just as we went to walk past we got into conversation with her again. As we walked back to the car, I was overwhelmed with the thought that we'd never see her again, yet we'd shared such a nice conversation with her. But some encounters are meant to be just like that. A single, significant encounter. So,
To the lady in the red coat,
Thank you for brightening our day. Thank you for not assuming we were as young as we look. Thank you for asking about our aspirations. Thank you for not judging what we want to do in life and how we want to get there. Thank you for your encouraging words. Enjoy the rest of your year in England and I wish you all the best back in New York!
Amy xo
