by Kate Willoughby Hall, Richmondmom.com founder and habitual runner-arounder. 
Ask anyone who knows me well, and they’ll say: “She’s always running around!”
I’ll admit it: I like to stay busy. I’ve always agreed that idle hands and minds are the devil’s workshop, and honestly I’m just happier when I’m busier.
But today, after an interview I had at CBS-6 was over much earlier than I expected–and with two hours to spare before my next appointment–I found myself with idle time. For once, nowhere to run!
I ventured into Ellwood’s Cafe, one of my favorite local Richmond haunts in Carytown, with nothing but a Style magazine and my blackberry: a dream come true.
Most moms–and women–I know are constantly giving their time up to their kids, their work, their extended families, their favorite charities. But what time to we have left for ourselves? Finding this unexpected time was like a shiny, golden egg which I planned to cradle in my hands until the clock struck noon and it was on to the next pr function of the morning. I snuggled into the comfy chair and relished in the fact that I had nowhere to be for quite some time.
As I sipped on delicious, rich coffee (some of the best in Richmond, I feel) and experiences the rare feeling of newsprint in my hands, the gentleman next to me (of course!) struck up a conversation with me. At first slightly annoyed (I pray it wasn’t evident) I exchanged pleasantries with him until I realized that he was not about to let this conversation go. I put down my Style and picked up my coffee cup. I’ll give in, I thought.
What ensued was a rare, lovely, interesting exchange with someone completely unlike myself. Someone who had retired from the military and was working part-time, someone who was trying to learn to use a blackberry, and someone who enjoyed talking about charitable giving and what a generous and supportive city Richmond was. The surprise was all mine: this stranger’s time was my real gift. After a good thirty minutes he had to leave, and as I hesitantly went back to my tweeting and intermittent reading of Style, I smiled at the thought of meeting a chance stranger and having a truly fun conversation.
I hope that, in the harried mess of summer days, camps, and summer trips, you find a similar gift for yourself. Sometimes these are the best–and most memorable–moments of all.
