A feel good day.

Do you ever do something that just makes you feel good all day no matter how shitty the rest of your day may be, or has been. That's the kind of day I had Tuesday. I was waiting for the train, because I had an appointment before work, and this women was trying to ask the train conductor for directions. Pretty boring you think, right. Well maybe except that this women was deft, and she couldn't understand anything the CTA people were trying to tell her. Though this is not her fault they were kind of stupid. The women was older, and could not read lips. Let me tell you that when you can't read lips its doesn't help for people to try and speak slower and exaggerate the words because then even someone who could read lips would have no idea what the hell you were saying. Anyways I assumed that they were trying to tell her to get on the redline. A man was trying to help out a bit but the CTA woman kept kind of shooing him away.
The deaf women looked even more confused when she got on the train. So without the shooing of the CTA lady I asked the women if she needed help. It was a little rough going at first because I haven't really signed since I finished school, and that was like five years ago, but surprisingly I was able to understand enough of what she was saying, to help her feel more comfortable get to where she was going. Then we had a pretty detailed conversation the rest of my way to work. I wished I wasn't running late otherwise I would have helped her find the bus she needed to get on, but that was five stops on the train past where I was going so it would have been like an extra half an hour.
The women was so nice and friendly. I've never really had a whole conversation with someone who was deaf. Well not only when I had to pass my ASL proficiancy test, so it would count for my forgien langauge requirement. I learn her name, that she was 77 years old and had a daughter that was 48. That she said I was pretty and asked why i didnt' wear making up. i.e. blush or lipstick, which I explained I hated. She asked about my family, who I was voting for. Explained that she thought McCain was too old to be President. Told me I should visit my family more. I was kind of sad to have to go to work and leave the women. Not because I didn't think she could make it, but because it was such a nice conversation.