being seen

There were a few vendors visiting our office a few days back, visiting and hawking their product and giving us all random swag. Of course at work there is nothing uncommon about this - we have vendors and affiliates there at least once a month, and they always bring something to give us. Sometimes it's lame (like a pad of sticky notes), sometimes it's useful (new pens!! - these vendors make me seriously happy), sometimes it's fun (nurf guns? yeah that happened), sometimes it's random (have a journal!) and sometimes it's branded coffee mugs. Travel mugs are the way to my heart.

This week's vendors brought a plethora of things. Some people went home with t shirt, key chains, posters and apparently there's a raffle for an iPod for the visit. I came home myself with a variety of things: I got pens, a collapsible water bottle, that journal I mentioned and a sort of rubberized bracelet. These bracelets, which essentially look like the Livestrong bracelets, came in a plastic bag full of bright colours: blue, red, yellow and purples. One side is inscribed a company logo. The other has an "I am ...." statement on it.

After giving me some fun facts about the brands he was representing, this particular vendor gave me a hard look. One of those I can see into your soul kind of looks, if you know the one I mean. He grabbed the bag of plastic bracelets and pulled out one, then another and another. He'd shake his head and put each one back, which was confusing - there were only four colours, so it seemed easy. I hadn't seen the writing yet.

Finally he said "I know just the one for you. I just need to find it." Which of course piqued my curiosity. What was he looking for. Finally he grabbed a purple one (the colour I was hoping for!) and held it out for me to wriggle into.

"That's you, right there. Don't ever forget it."

I am courageous.

It's one of the moments that makes me stop and think. What is it he's seeing there, that made him choose just that bracelet, just that saying. What about me made it clear that "courageous" was exactly the word he should give me? Our exchange was less than five minutes total, and easily half of it was spent searching for this bracelet and chit chatting. In such a short time what made it seem so clear, so important that this be the bracelet he give me. (I have it on good authority that this was an anomaly - most people chose their own sayings or he just grabbed something for them.)

What was it he saw in just those first few moments? Something about me indicating courage, or perhaps fear? A glimmer that it would be something I'd need in my future? What is it that he has seen in me?