Day 15: The Never Ending Story

I got a late start on Monday's rejection, but I figured it was ok because I was going to a waffle party after work so there'd be plenty of opportunity to get rejected. It was at one of my favorite places to eat, which has now closed its doors. I was crying into my waffles all evening so didn't get around to attempting rejection until I was leaving. I went to say goodbye to the host, a wonderful friend, and pointed to the giant spread of waffles, maple syrup bottles, chocolate syrup bottles, fresh fruit toppings, etc. and asked her if I could take all of it home with me? Being the generous person she is, she was like "Take as much as you want! We're going to be left with all of this to clean up after people leave," and handed me a to-go box.

Er. Maybe that was an anemic attempt at rejection. I was hoping to emphasize the "everything" in take everything home, and therefore hear something like a no. But, after filling up my to-go with more waffles, I said my goodbyes and left.

Next stop was Sevananda, one of my favorite grocery stores, situated in Little 5 Points, a community of artists, hippies, hip hop, steampunk, and the like. I walked into Sevananda determined that the first person I saw I'd approach because it was getting late. Right as I walked in there was a young man stocking a cooler with drinks, so I made a bee-line. "Will you sing a song with me?" I blurted out. It was an impulse.

"Uh.... um...." he hesitated--a good sign. "Uh.. . sure, okay."

"Oh good!!" I said. I actually was glad, but also a tiny bit disappointed. Time was tickin' and I hadn't been rejected yet.

"Uh... what song?" he asked.  "I don't know, how about Happy Birthday?" I replied.

Seriously? I couldn't think of a Frank Sinatra tune? Even Niki Minaj? I had to go with Happy Freaking Birthday? Well, no turning back now.

"Ok," laughing, "Whose birthday is it?" he asked. I said, "Yours?" I looked at his name tag which said "MIKE" in big letters, then looked at another employee standing nearby and said "It's Mike's birthday. We'll sing Happy Birthday to him!"

Mike was laughing at this point, and his friend was giggling like a school girl, but I started us off. There in the entryway of Sevananda we sang happy birthday to Mike. I was laughing a lot, but I learned my lesson early in this challenge -- if someone says yes to you, you do the thing, you don't back down.

After we were done singing Mike gave me a huge hug! He was so delighted with this random act of spontaneity that his misgivings at the start gave way to pure joy. I was so touched by the hug that I hugged the other guy too. "Happy Birthday Mike! Thanks for singing with me!" We said our goodbyes and I continued into the store to do my shopping.

That was awesome, but shit. Now what? I figured opportunity would knock again soon. And it did, about 15 minutes into my grocery shopping when a middle aged woman passed me by in the toiletries aisle and said hello.

"HI!!" I said way too enthusiastically. "Do you want to play the thumb game with me?" It was an impulse. She got a puzzled look on her face so I asked if she knew what the thumb game was? She said she did not, and so I explained how you lock fingers and try to squash the other person's thumb.

"Oh yeah, I know..... So.... you want to play the thumb game...Okay let's play." And so we locked fingers and went at it. She totally let me win. After we were done she introduced herself, "I'm Caroline!" and I introduced myself. She had a calm and inviting demeanor about her. I told her that I used to play the thumb game with my sister when we were little, and thanked her for bringing back a good childhood memory. She beamed at hearing that, and we went on our way.

A duel to the death!

That was awesome, but shit. Now what? I was ready to check out and it was dawning on me that a haven for alternative lifestyles was probably not the best place to look for rejection. So I determined to make another pit stop on the way home. I needed some contact lens solution, so that was a good excuse. But, checking out at CVS the cashier agreed to sing a song with me too. By this time I was getting frustrated but this guy was a real gentleman so I couldn't be too upset.

One more desperate attempt at rejection took me to Home Depot where they were just closing the store and a sales woman was walking out. I asked if she would open the store for me, thinking there is no way in f*ing hell she will agree. For the love of God, I thought, just say NO!! "Well..." she hesitated--a good sign. "What are you looking for?" OYE! I screamed in my head. I told her I needed a few flower pots, so she looked up their inventory on her iPhone and showed me a few options. I thanked her for being very helpful and courteous and agreed to come back tomorrow.

Monday's efforts in trying to get rejected reads like a children's book where a little explorer wanders through foreign lands and meets new friends along the way. It was incredibly frustrating to keep striking out, but it was even more amazing the connections made, however brief, with strangers. Was that last one an actual rejection? Meh. Probably not, but I decided I'd take it. Mostly I was in awe of what had transpired all evening. Singing and playing games with strangers, connecting over a yummy meal.

I am beginning to see that in some cases, the people I approach for rejection are actually getting something positive out of this too, if it's done right. And even if I fail for one day, that can't be a bad thing.