[yeah, I'm supafly.]

anways, we have this routine. When I have to walk outside between offices, he meets me halfway to give me a ride in his golf cart.

It's always the same: I wave, he smiles and nods.
He has salt-and-pepper hair, but I am left guessing at his age.
His broad smile contrasts beautifully against his dark skin.

Our one-minute intervals of conversation are usually the same too.
*words like this denote that he has a thick African accent, and that I do not.*

Aw, yeah, hello, how you ah doing?

Doing well, Kofi. Nothing too exciting.

Aw, yeah...It's too haht.

I know! It's getting to the triple digits today.

It's much too haht for young ladies to be walking out heah. It's so hot,
you can eat it.

Yeah, it's really hot.

Mmhm. It's ok, we have our own air conditioning system!

(he makes breezelike gestures towards the open sides of the golf cart. We
laugh. At this point, he'sdropping meoff.)

Well, thanks for the ride, Kofi. Try to stay cool, O.K.?

O.K. I'll see you latah

So it took me sometime to learn much anything about him. Concretely, I know he's from Ghana, and proud of it, and that he like to work lots of overtime. That's about it. I talked with him just a bit about Obama's recent trip to Ghana, and we talked about Ghana's state of relative peace and prosperity in a ravaged continent.

Here are a few of my favorite encouters:

One day as I was getting out of the cart, I tripped over my too-tall heels. My attempt to look cute that day resulted in embarrasment. Oh, to be a woman... Kofi cursed a little, and delicately told me that I had scuffed the back of my pants. All I could do was laugh, but he wanted to be sure that I hadn't thrown out a hip or something. After I assured him that only my pride was injured, he said, It's O.K you not da only one dis happens to. It happens to everybahdy. Don't be embarrassed. 

[he picks me up for my third ride of the day. I'm going to get wonderful
popsicles from a nearby stand. SO good.]

Hello, Kofi. The ladies in HR want popsicles today, so here I am.

Why do all ladies like da sweets? All ladies, aaall ladies in the world, no mattah weah dey ah from, they like da sweets.

It's just the way God made us. You'll have to ask Him about it.

[he laughs and drops me off.]

Mah birthday is next month. On da 2oth.

Aw, I'll be gone by then.

Gone? What do you mean? Where ah you going from heah?

I have to go back to school, Kofi. I'm only here for the summer. My last day is in two weeks.

Ohh O.K. [pauses] well, I'm going to miss you.

I'm going to miss you too, Kofi.

Ah you going to be heah next summah?

I'm not sure. I don't know what next summer will look like.

Only God knows. You may think you know what you ah doing tomorrow, but you nevah know. You gotta ask Him.

That's so true, Kofi. So true.

I love how God sends gifts in such cool ways. Who would have thought that at the place I work (where communication is difficult: everyone speaks Spanish, and many only speak Spanish) I would befriend such a lovely person who brightens my day in golf-cart-ride intervals.

My new mission, as the summer concludes, is to find this Ghanian man the perfect birthday present.

and if you're reading this, I pose the challenge to find a beautiful moment of praise today--whether it's in a conversation, a song, a verse, a cup of coffee, or a Chick-fil-A sandwich. Go for it. You'll find one quick enough.