8:39 am

dear stranger who uses the crosswalk every morning,

nearly every day as i wait to turn left on the way to work, you are crossing the street. 

months ago i notice you cut off your ponytail, opting for a shorter hairstyle. 

you carry your coffee always in the left hand; hot lattes in the summer, iced drinks in the fall. 

you walk steadily, neither rushing nor lagging, and with purpose, always looking straight ahead through your glasses, even in the rain. 

you have new shoes and put your weight to the inside of your stride. 

your earbuds are in. i wonder, "are you listening to a podcast? an audio book? what is your favorite type of music?"

and i hazard guesses at where you might work that you can walk there from the coffee shop. 

every morning at 8:39. 

does your shift begin, as mine does, at 8:45?

some people and things i've learned aren't reliable.  funny, isn't it, how you've made it onto my list of things i can count on?

from, 

lady in the blue car