Just one of those moments…

I was playing Muni Roulette Thursday and ended up on a two hour hike.  I went up and down hills, finding hidden staircases and secret gardens.  I saw amazing architecture, beautiful landscaping and unique decorating touches, like a mosaic mural of a seascape made from bits of tile, glass and stones, depicting fish, sharks, jellyfish, waves, and mermaids.  This was on the side of a stone wall bordering someone’s house.  Next to it was an urn with a serene looking Indian goddess carved on the side.

I loved this particular walk, even as I started up a hill so steep I had to lean forward immediately upon my first step upward or risk rolling back down the hill like Sisyphus’s boulder.  It was cool, fog and clouds rolling in from the ocean, a brisk exhilarating breeze blowing the whole time.

The best part, however, was a very brief encounter when I stopped at Andronico’s Market on Funston and Irving to use their restroom (and buy a tea biscuit as a treat) before setting off on the second half of my walk, which would take me up into Golden Gate Heights and into West Portal.  Andronico’s just finished a big remodeling and their women’s bathroom, instead of being one room where sink and toilet were together, now held two stalls.  I went in, pushed open one of the stalls…and found myself face to face with a round faced dumpling of a little boy, about four years old tops.  He wasn’t doing anything…just standing there in the stall.  I looked at him, he looked at me.  He said, “I was in da bafroom.”  I replied, “I guess you were, sweetie.”  He gave me this heartbreakingly adorable smile and toddled out of the room, content with the world.

I’m not even a kid person, but something about this little guy made my day.  I just hope he doesn’t grow up with the habit of hanging out in women’s restrooms.