Mint, Rosemary & The Kindness Of Strangers

Portland's all shiny tonight, surely a good omen for my first World Domination Summit. As is the help I received on the streets and social media, when my registration materials went astray and site log-ons failed.

Yet my favorite moment so far wasn't the private bash at the zoo. Nor the marching band. It unfolded on a quiet stretch of 10th Avenue, where a "Peace Corps Veteran" was trading herbs for donations, in honor of her dead husband. I didn't pause long enough for the whole story, just a handful of mint and rosemary. But she still gripped my shoulder and blessed me for stopping, then told me I'd sleep well with the plants beside my bed.

How could I not with a welcome so full of fragrance and goodwill?

Sunset reflections off a mirrored skyscraper, Taylor Street, Portland, OR. Image copyright www.amandacastleman.com