Williams Family: Famous Walter and Other Suppositions

 

First, Famous Walter!  The other evening, the husband, our houseguest, and I visited Disney's Coronado Springs Resort for a lovely alfresco meal at Three Bridges.  On both our way to and from the restaurant, we stopped by the resort gift shop, Panchito's Gifts and Sundries.  During our last stop, there was a small child crying in a stroller.  Multiple adults accompanied the child, each browsing sections of the store, with one of the adults pushing the stroller.  I approached and began talking to the securely strapped in little older than a toddler to distract him from crying.  It worked!  The adults gathered around the stroller, one to make sure I seemed (supposition) safe and two, to see the child's reactions.  I introduced myself to the child and one of the adults told me the child's name was Walter.  Oh, my!  I told Walter that this entire area was created by a man named Walt (Walter, actually) and therefore, he, Walter, was famous.  That generated a smile.  From that moment on, he was referred to as Famous Walter.  By the time our interaction ended, Famous Walter had his fingers in his mouth, his eyes droopy.  We waved good-bye.  It was evident that Famous Walter's family was from the UK and I ventured to guess arrived that day at the resort meaning it was a very long day and very late (supposition) for Famous Walter.

A supposition is "an idea that something may be true without certain proof."  I typically operate with a positive supposition. 

Now, more about suppositions.  

While playing cards on the lanai last evening, after a wonderful rainstorm that took the heat and humidity out of the air, a group of 17 to 22 year olds walked by on the sidewalk.  I said "good evening" and asked about the new camera.  A previous encounter had elicited a conversation about the purchase of a new video camera by one of the young men.  I was informed that none of that group had the camera, but the guy parking the car nearby was the owner of the camera.  This is what I overheard, "Hey, the people that we walk by all the time are asking about your camera?"  I love this!  We are part of the fabric of their neighborhood.  This makes us connected; safe.  As the camera owner walked by, he informed us that he had loaned it to a friend recently and would retrieve it shortly.  All of this isn't really about the camera--it was about having previous knowledge in which to have an interaction, a positive interaction! 

It reminded me of the many times I was leaving work, exiting schools at the end of the day and the start of the evening, and seeing youngsters playing on playgrounds.  I won't say always, but I will say that I frequently verbally interacted with "who is winning" or "stay safe" or "keep an eye on the place."  I enjoyed these interactions with the young people, old enough to gather on an elementary school playground without parent supervision.  Some were former students, some were not.  And, each time, my supposition as to why they were there and what they were doing was positive--play, socialize, do no harm to others, themselves, me, or the building.  That positive supposition worked, for the most part. One school I was a part of for seven years, had vandalism the summer prior to my arrival and one other overnight incident.  I was told by a district maintenance supervisor that vandalism had declined.  Good!  

As I venture, a positive supposition is a continued goal! Beliefs behind the words matters.