Finding Joy in Unexpected Encounters

We had a final electrical inspection for our basement that we have been working on for the past year – almost done! But, the basement is a story for another day as this post is about finding joy in unexpected encounters. Encounters where complete strangers take time out of their day to teach, spread joy, or get to know someone new.

The Electrical Inspector

About a month ago we received a call from our county’s electrical inspector notifying us of his impending retirement at the end of the month. He wanted to complete the final inspection on our basement if at all possible. Within the week, the inspector was at our door for the third and final time. He walked downstairs and inspected the new bathroom, office, gas fireplace, and family room before asking to see the electrical box in the back room. As my husband opened the door to the back room, he bent down to pick up a container of rocks my kids had left in the walkway.

The inspector’s eyes lit up.

“Do you have a rock hound in the family?” he asked.

“My kids love collecting rocks, particularly agates.” my husband replied.

“Our family has been collecting agates for many years now. The kids collect ‘special’ rocks wherever they go.”

The inspector excitedly told us that he and his wife are planning to spend their retirement traveling and collecting rocks.

The inspector and our family spent nearly half an hour talking about rocks. My kids ran to get their largest agates to show the inspector, while the inspector brought out his cell phone to show us a large, 25 lb. rock that he retrieved out of a mine in Arkansas. The rock had one small crystal sticking out of the top. When the inspector gently removed the outer shell of the rock, he found that the entire core was made of crystals.

Before leaving, the inspector invited us to attend meetings at the Minnesota Mineral Club. He said that they could use some young families in the club. As he stepped out the door he said:

“Well, this has been fun! Keep up the rock hunting – it really is a great lifetime hobby. Plus, you get to learn about history, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, and lapidary arts while spending time in the great outdoors.”

We agree!

Mr. Mosquito Controller

“Excuse me! Hi! Excuse me!”

The kids and I turned around as we heard a man calling from behind us. We were on one of our daily walks last summer and heading back up the dirt road toward our house when we heard the shouts.

We all walked back to where the man was standing by his pick-up truck. My son immediately noticed that the truck was from Illinois.

“Hey, Mom! He’s from Illinois!” my son exclaimed. He loves to see license plates from other states.

Anyway, the man (I’ll call Mr. Mosquito Controller) said “I hope I didn’t startle you. I saw you with the kids and I thought you all may be interested in seeing this. The man held out a few tiny clear glass containers. The containers had mosquitoes in different stages of their life cycle – egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Mr. Mosquito Controller was conducting research for mosquito control near our house. He was taking water samples from puddles, marshes, and other low lying areas to gauge where our county should treat for mosquitoes.

When we asked what control they use, he said that they use Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) – a natural soil bacteria that disrupts mosquito digestion. The bacteria are packaged in little pellets that are dropped by hand in small areas, or by helicopter in larger areas. We’ve seen the helicopters fly over our house for years now, so it was interesting to learn exactly what the helicopters were dropping. Mr. Mosquito Controller also said that we can control mosquito reproduction by putting one salt pellet (used in water softeners) in puddles around our home – so simple!

The kids and I were impressed that Mr. Mosquito Controller flagged us down, and took the time to teach us all about the tiny pests that swarm and bite us throughout the summer. We felt lucky to have crossed paths with Mr. Mosquito Controller.

The Hawaiian

My family took a long road trip down south to get away from our brutal Minnesota winter two years ago. We took our time to stop and explore interesting places on our way down to the Gulf of Mexico and back. One of the places we stopped was Crater of Diamonds State Park – the only diamond mining park that is open to the public.

We set out for our first day of digging for diamonds after sliding into our rain boots, renting our digging supplies, and paying for the entrance into the mining fields. The day was a little rainy, so there weren’t too many people on the plowed fields, but we did come a across a very friendly man from Hawaii and his much quieter friend from Nevada. The Hawaiian said that he flies in once per year to dig for diamonds with his friend. They dig for eight hours per day over a long weekend before flying back to Las Vegas.

We ended up digging with our new friends in the slippery mud as we chatted about past trips to Crater of Diamonds, life in Hawaii, life in Minnesota, and about the history of the area we were in. I could tell that the Hawaiian had talked to many of the locals over the years, as he had many stories to share (making our trip to Crater of Diamonds all the richer). My son, who was 7-years old at the time, also joined the conversation by telling the Hawaiian that one of his favorite singers was from Hawaii.

My son had been listening to the beautiful ukulele rendition of the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Iz (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole) over and over for the past year, and knew that Iz’s home state was Hawaii.

The Hawaiian guessed my son’s favorite song on the first try.

The next day, the Hawaiian and his friend found us as we dug for diamonds on the 37.5 acre field. As they approached us, we heard “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” being played. My son’s face lit up as soon as he saw that the Hawaiian had come to play him the song on his phone.

We never did find a diamond, but we did have another wonderful, unexpected encounter, which was just as precious.

The Earth Day Lady

Our children support Earth Day by picking up trash along our favorite walking routes. They have been doing this for the past four years. Although this past Earth Day was no different, it turned out to be one of our favorite experiences. As the kids filled their garbage bags with empty cups, bottles, cans, and wrappers, people began to stop and thank the kids. But it was one special lady, the Earth Day lady, who really touched our entire family.

We were almost back home when a woman and her husband came up behind us as the kids dragged their over-filled garbage bags down the road.

The lady hurried over to the kids, walked alongside them and said “I just wanted to tell you both that what you are doing is so wonderful – it’s inspirational!”

“Thank you!” my son replied.

“Thanks!” my daughter added.

“Keep doing what you’re doing” the Earth Day lady shouted as she hurried off to catch up with her husband.

Five minutes later, we saw the lady turn around up ahead to meet up with us again, and as she neared us she said:

“You both were so inspirational that I’ve decided to pick up trash on my way home.” she said to my kids as she stooped down to pick up a crushed cardboard box. “You’ve inspired me!” she said again.

My daughter looked up at me with her mouth open in awe.

My son hobbled up to where I was walking with his extra-heavy, packed garbage bag and exclaimed “Mom, did you hear that? We inspired her to pick up garbage too!”

I smiled, and we all yelled out “Thank you for helping!”

The kind lady turned back, smiled, and waved with a garbage-filled hand.

To read the full story of this Earth Day encounter, see my blog post The Earth Day Lesson: Inspiration Through Kindness.

Finding Joy in Unexpected Encounters

My family has found a tremendous amount of joy in unexpected encounters. Time and time again we encounter total strangers that are kind, generous, willing to share their knowledge, and spread joy.

Have you experienced any unexpected encounters that brought you joy? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below.