Table for One

Continued from:  Jump

The couple’s email put me in a positive mood as I set out for a more typical day of sightseeing in Arches National Park before driving up to Canyonlands National Park. The geological diversity of Utah can overwhelm the senses.

When I got my first view of Canyonlands National Park from the Island in the Sky, I was dumbstruck by its vastness and beauty. The aptly named Island in the Sky sits atop a Mesa surrounded by the canyons carved out by the Colorado and Green Rivers.

I proceeded across the small connection named the neck onto Grand View Point Road. The road stretched approximately two miles with numerous scenic overlooks readily accessible by car. I sat quietly at each vista as I made my way to the end of the road and hiked many of the side trails leading to points not accessible via car.

At the last vista, Grand View Point, I hiked a little over a mile from the parking area. I felt melancholy as I contemplated this place and felt the emptiness. Its’ desolation seemed like an allegory for my grief journey. The canyons stretched as far as the eye could see with seemingly no end. I sat quietly alone in my thoughts as others came and went. After about an hour I shook off my mood and headed back to Moab.

The previous night, I had dinner at The Spoke Bar. Typically, it is easy for me to find a seat at the bar and find conversations with other guests. This night, I decided to try a different establishment, The Broken Oar Restaurant, which had been recommended by a local resident.

I arrived later in the evening and there was a line out the door. When I arrived at the hostess station, I inquired if they had a bar. They did not. The past two years, I have never been faced with this situation. I swallowed as I mumbled “table for one.”

I could feel myself losing my composure, so I decided to wait outside with a few others who had decided to brave the cooler temperatures in lieu of the crowded interior waiting area.

As I sat on a bench waiting for my name to be called, I attempted to engage another couple in conversation, but uncharacteristically I struggled to keep the conversation going and eventually gave up. As I was contemplating just leaving, the hostess came out to me and said, “The last couple I seated have requested, no insisted, that you join them for dinner.”

My eyes began to mist as I was shown to their table. It was the couple I had attempted to engage in conversation, Dennis and Karen from Michigan. I thanked them profusely for inviting me to their table and for their kindness. Dennis explained that he travelled for work before he retired and often had to eat alone. He had overheard me ask for a table for one and thought it would be a good opportunity for a fresh conversation.

I cannot overstate my sense of relief and gratitude at being included in their dinner discussion. I learned of their careers and recent retirement travels as I shared my travels and plans with them. It turned into a pleasant evening. As we parted, I once again thanked them for their kindness and headed back to my hotel room.

In my room, I couldn’t help but reflect on the events of the last three days. A simple act of kindness assisting the couple who needed a jump had somehow rebounded to me with my dinner invitation. Hinduism has a word for such coincidences, karma. That night, I slept the best I had in months.