I met the coolest little kid at work today. She was barely ten or eleven, was dragging a brightly colored backpack on wheels behind her, and held her back straight with a solemn dignity scarcely seen in people so young. She stopped to peer inquisitively at almost everything, including my presence. I was rearranging shelves as she approached me, her backpack's wheels bumping against on the carpet. She then stood contemplatively beside me, and then, apparently having judged me worthy of her attentions, she asked:

"Have you read The Lord of the Rings?"

What followed was a forty minute conversation about Martin Freeman in The Hobbit, long-winded books we've read, how Legolas has long hair even though he's a boy, horror stories about Furbies running out of batteries and screaming (which I have personally witnessed), bewilderment about anyone who can properly solve a Rubix Cube, an incredibly intelligent discussion about various martial arts she and I had both been in, Donkey Kong, and how horrible it would feel to be wearing clown shoes and falling down a hill.

It was like meeting myself as a kid. Instant camaraderie! I think I'm going to look back at this moment as one of the bright spots of my current job. Sometimes, it's just nice to be reminded that happy, simple conversations like these are possible. :)