When it came down to finally choosing a college, Nash and I chose Whitman, but we also chose Walla Walla. And these are Stories From Walla Walla... More than anything, I talk to Nash about Kindness and being a Good Human. I'm always encouraging him to Recognize. Engage. And Be Kind to those in front of you. But in this instance, Walla Walla taught him this lesson better than I ever could. From staying at The Finch Hotel repeated times now, I've grown to be a fan of Livit Coffee, a local Walla Walla Roaster. So much so, that I asked Nash to trek up to the nearest Livit Coffee location to buy me 2 bags of beans to bring home with him. Livit Coffee is only a half mile from Lyman Hall, but as Nash pointed out: to do this, he had to "trudge there" in super slushy conditions as it had snowed the night before. I told him that I greatly appreciated his "overwhelming sacrifice" for my benefit. Upon entering the store, Nash was able to quickly find the HUEHUE Viennese Roast I was looking for. With coffee now in hand, Nash confidently strode up to the counter to make his purchase. Brandishing his shiny new credit card, He tried inserting it. No luck. He tried tapping it. No luck. He tried swiping it. No luck. At this point, he's flustered... And he's frantically apologizing and fumbling around in his backpack to find some emergency cash. While he's doing that, he's explaining to the cashier that he doesn't even drink coffee! That he's only buying coffee beans for his "good old dad!" Nash is now rambling like a crazy person when a kind older gentleman steps in... He puts his hand on Nash's shoulder and says, "Don't worry about it. I got this." "Huh? What?" my son eloquently replies. "I said you don't need to worry about it. I overheard your story, and I'm happy to pay for your coffee." "But Sir, it's like 36 dollars!!!" The kind gentleman just smiles at Nash and says "You tell your dad Merry Christmas for me. Will you do that?" "I promise I will! And Thank You So Much!!!" And on Nash's long "trudge" home, which suddenly wasn't quite so far. And now wasn't quite so slushy, Nash phones me excitedly. "Dad! I got a story to tell you!!!" And the story he relayed to me was this one. A story from Walla Walla... read more