"The Unexpected Kind" A poem by Jess Coffman

It is so weird how things work out sometimes. 

Last night at work I served two gentlemen from Salt Lake City, Utah. They came in early and the restaurant was slow, so I was able to chat with them for a bit. They were delighted to hear that I had worked for Tuacahn last summer, which is a beautiful outdoor amphitheater in Utah. Some members of their family had taken the four hour drive from Salt Lake to St. George to see the two productions that I had performed in. These men smiled frequently, were respectful and relaxed, and it brought back a flood of beautiful memories from last summer. 

Later in the night, four women sat down in the exact same booth as the guys from Salt Lake. It was a lively group of young women, so I asked them if they were celebrating anything special. A beautiful woman with a slicked tight bun and bangs,  said that they were celebrating her new job and move to Salt Lake City! I told her of the kind men from Salt Lake that were in that same booth earlier in the night. She said that it must be a sign that going to Salt Lake was the right thing to do. That is totally what I thought too. 

So at some point last night while I was reminiscing of blazing hot performances in a red rock canyon, gorgeous hikes at Zion National Park and laying under millions of stars at late night parties, I remembered this poem. But, it was a smiling picture posted on Facebook this morning of my cast last summer, that warmed my heart and made me really want to post this poem. 

There is this amazing restaurant in Ivins, Utah called Xetava where I would get brunch with my friends last summer. Truth be told, alcohol is a scarcity in Utah and Xetava was one of the only places that you could get a much needed Mimosa or homemade Sangria with brunch. That is what brought us out there at first, but what kept me going back was this amazing artistic, desert beauty, free-flowing awesome vibe that it had. On the day that I wrote this poem, I was going out to the Xetava area to get my brakes replaced on my car. So my plan was to drop off the car and then walk to Xetava to chill out until my car was ready. Well, I had completely underestimated the distance between the repair shop and Xetava. It was really only about 4 miles, which is not that big of a deal, but I was walking along a somewhat lonely desert highway in over 100 degree heat. Honestly, when I arrived at Xetava I really felt like I had gone through something. That hour or so that I was walking was an hour of absolute fear and regret. I had been so afraid of either getting bitten by a rattlesnake, stepping in some poisonous desert bush, getting run over by a speeding car, attacked by an army of scorpions or simply melting to death under the sun where no one would find me for hours. When I finally got to Xetava, I was exhausted and relieved. This is where I met the sweet stranger who inspired this poem.  

The beauty inside Xetava. 

The Unexpected Kind

An Unexpected act of Kindness,

Is Honestly my favorite kind.

When a total Stranger cares for me,

It Feeds my Soul and Blows my mind.

There was no favor to repay me.

This woman didn’t know my name.

She had never seen my face before,

We had no past that I could claim.

She saw the drops of sweat on my brow,

And wiped her wetted brow too.

But an unlucky day had left me without,

The money for a hot brew.

So, I found the best seat by a window.

The cactus stayed still in the breeze.

I wrote of the desert’s dry beauty,

My pen took the challenge with ease.

Then all of a sudden she tapped me,

And asked if I’d like to enjoy

A hot mug filled with understanding,

Though the foam was milk and not soy.

Of course I accepted it gladly,

And was so grateful for her grace.

It inspired me to spread kindness,

To the next unfamiliar face.