It’s
amazing how graduating from the same university will create an instant bond
among strangers.
At
the end of an otherwise extremely boring and uneventful shift, four men
strolled onto the patio and sat themselves in my section.
Normally,
seating yourself at a fine dining establishment is frowned upon.
However,
I noticed one of the men wearing a University of Oregon vest and another was
wearing a U of O hat. After seeing this, I was no longer annoyed in any way.
In fact, it
made me smile. I graduated from the
University of Oregon in 2002.
I immediately
dug into the subject.
“So
are you all Oregon alumni or are you just Duck fans? Or do you live in Eugene (where the university is)?” One guy took the floor. “We're all Ducks. We all went there. We all still live in
Eugene and we all work for the university.
You?”
“Wow. Awesome!
I love it! Yes, I graduated from there over a decade ago. I loved that I went
there. Best decision I ever made,” I responded.
An
instant bond formed. I asked about the newest additions to the
campus, Marcus Mariota and how they think our football team will do next
year. I told them I went to the Rose
Bowl (on New Years Day two month ago in which Oregon won) and the conversation just flowed from there. They knew I was
a diehard fan and a true alumna.
They
wanted local beers, as expected.
Portland, Oregon (just two hours north of Eugene), is considered one of
the top five best craft beer destinations in the US similar to San Diego’s micro-brew
reputation.
Three
of them ordered local brewery Ballast Point’s famous Sculpin IPA. The fourth Oregon
guy asked for a Coors Light. Seriously? I told him we have Bud, Miller Lite and
Michelob Ultra for our domestic beers.
He chose Mich Ultra. Jokingly, I
said, “Ok…. So I guess you’re choosing to hydrate yourself instead of getting an actual buzz.” They all laughed (well, except for the
guy who ordered the beer flavored water).
He responded, “Awww, come on…” I felt
slightly bad and replied sincerely, "I’m sorry. I totally understand. We all need a light beer
every now and again.”
One
of the “real” beer drinkers said, “It’s all good. You’re a Duck."
Exactly. All was forgiven.
And
that’s exactly my point.
If
you have a common bond with someone (even a stranger you just met in a professional atmosphere), you can let your guard down and simply be yourself. You can tease, joke, share
a laugh and not worry. Because whether
it’s a bond over a city you grew up in, a common passion or interest, or
graduating from the same university, when strangers can relate with one another
over a commonality, there’s nothing like it.
As
I was in the side station putting other guests’ orders into the computer, the
guy in the Oregon vest came up to me and said he was ready to pay. Their bill was $125. He pulled out two $100 bills and told me to
keep the change.
Wow. I sure am a proud and lucky Duck today. ~ HK ~
