A Blueberry Muffin and a Little Black Book

Many times a story will start with a “Once upon a Time” and it draws you in and you know, likely, there will be a sweet and happy ending- it seems we desire hope!

Hope is always on the horizon, billowing brightly.

Much like every other unassuming Tuesday, people from all over the world, in different time zones will wake up under the same bright and beautiful sun. We all have different roles to play and jobs to do. Today is my day off, so the first thing on my mind after hugging my children this morning is coffee! Delicious, frothy, espresso ( maybe even a double shot) with some cool and light whip topping! So, we put on light jackets and comfortable walking shoes and headed toward the door. Oh but wait! I almost forgot my little black book! I grabbed my bag and put my little black book inside and we headed out the door. The kiddos, excitedly, hopped into their stroller. As we walked, we saw many houses. We waved as we passed neighbors getting exercise. We saw a little tan bunny in the grass- so cute! My son named him Mochi! We kept moving along, at a steady pace, with the thought of treats on our minds. We turned a corner from a quaint little neighborhood onto a busy Nashville street. Traffic was hustling and bustling. We passed a man holding a sign. I smiled. He looked gentle and kind. I asked him if he was hungry- he nodded with a grateful spirit. I asked him his name, he said his name was Toby. I told Toby we would be back by, in about an hour or so, with some warm coffee and fresh muffins. He shook my hand. As we continued further down the street, we passed a lot of businesses and many funny named street signs. We finally arrived to our favorite coffee shop! I opened the door and we walked inside.

We were welcomed with familiar smiles. We ordered one latte for me, two hot cocoas for the children, one large hot coffee for Toby, and five muffins of assorted flavors. We sat down by the window and watched the cars pass rapidly. The children laughed while making dancing gestures, to the artists playing live music tunes. The sun was shining brightly into the coffee shop and it was such a calm, peaceful day.

In the coffee shop, I was feeling inspired. I pulled out my little black book and began to write. A beautiful poem poured out onto the paper, as I saw beauty within this place of business. The poem compiled thoughts of kindness, as the waitress picked up napkins that a customer had dropped onto the floor, friends of all ages laughing as they told stories, families sharing pastries, children dancing to the hipster vibes, business people working on their laptops discussing budgets and timelines, an elderly person sitting alone staring into the distance as they sipped their coffee, a couple holding hands across their table, and workers bringing joy to every customer, as they took their cup of joe to their tables. In those moments, my senses were overwhelmed by the colors I saw, the laughter I heard, the smell of the strawberry donut from the table next to mine, the taste of my delicious hot lavender vanilla latte, and the feeling of the warm sun radiating through the large window hitting our table. I finished the poem with a heavy period of finality. I closed my little black book. We gathered our belongings and our brown paper bag with Toby’s two muffins. We put our drink cups in the bin that said recycle, waved to the owners, and headed out the door.

As we walked, the children asked if we could go to the park. Of course, I said yes! But, I told them we would go after we delivered the goodies to our new friend Toby. I wondered if Toby would still be in that spot. I was pleased to see that, indeed, he was still standing there, on the corner, holding his brown cardboard sign. We stopped by Toby and I bent down to grab the muffins from the bottom of the stroller. I thought I heard something drop out, but looked and didn’t see anything. I got sidetracked talking to Toby and after about ten minutes of chatting, the children were getting antsy to continue the journey to the park. Toby expressed such gratitude and we both hoped to see each other again soon. We made it to the park. The children were having a blast. So, I decided to grab my little black book to draw some sketches; it was such a beautiful day. But to my surprise, I could not find it. I looked everywhere. I, even, called the coffee shop. No luck, it was gone. I did not get discouraged though, I knew tomorrow would be a brand new day with fresh possibilities and inspiration.

We never saw Toby again, sadly. But, to my surprise, I did read about him. About ten years later, I was scrolling social media and I saw a familiar face. The article read from “Rags to Riches - how Toby Panish’s life changed from a little black book that he found and a poem. I was shocked to read he had published my poem and noted it was written by an anonymous author. He says in the article, that the poem from the little black book inspired him and encouraged him to write a book himself about his life journey to uplift others. His book was called. “ A blueberry muffin and a little black book. “ It had been a best seller for 6 years straight. I felt a tear of joy trickle down my cheek as I read that he had made twenty thousand dollars, in the first year from his book. I ordered the book and read it entirely, in about 2 hours. The dedication section of the book said: “ dedicated to the person with the two small children who smiled at me, called me by name, gave me two blueberry muffins, and dropped your little black book- I am forever grateful.”

My heart was full. I was so happy for my friend Toby. I was honored to have had the opportunity to share simple kindness.

Did you know the Sun is a star? Wow! Some people might not know that, but we all share that mega, bright star we call the sun. And the neat part is, we all wake up under its warm rays. Life can hold such beautiful possibilities. Life can be full of unexpected experiences. The beauty of the world and people all around us, passing each other, coming together, doing life, in a world full of surprises. We all live in our own beautiful and unique stories. We all together make the world go around. But, we need to take a moment to breathe it all in, drink a cup of coffee, eat a muffin, and grab that little black book when inspired. You never know what hope can come from an average day under the same bright, big sun.