I was oscillating, between -1 and 1, an effective zero per normal, with the additional dynamics of simple harmonic motion. I was on my way to work, contemplating ways to use this effect to slingshot myself away from zero; in either direction, I don't care which. Finding escape velocity is becoming essential to my continued existence.
Then I stopped by an espresso joint for some jolt. I was hardly paying attention, just going thru the motions while effectively off in my own world, when the coffee babe who is attending me just out of the blue blurts out, "Wow, you smell really nice!" This effectively snapped me out of my oscillating, but since my mind was so far away when it happened, I could hardly respond with more than a dim-sounding, "Huh?" to which she repeated what she said, at which point one of her co-workers gave us both a smiling look which I will simply describe as priceless.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but she wasn't angling for a tip; I'd already paid and put my stuff away, and there was no tips jar present.
Once I snapped back into reality, I enjoyed a bit of playful banter with the coffee babe, got to hear about what she'd been doing over the summer, and then drove off with a smile on my face that wasn't there before. This effectively sent me on my way at a +2.54, which incidentally is the exact number of centimeters in an inch.
It's funny how it's the little things in life that can make the biggest difference sometimes.
Good fortune,
- Icarus Dodges Bullets
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Please forgive me if, in the heat of battle, I sometimes forget which side I'm on.