This Cedar Rapids Lady Made My Day

I was visiting some of our sister stations in Cedar Rapids earlier this week when I ran into someone who brightened up my day. I wasn't having a bad day by any means, she just had the gift of gab, in a good way. Before taking the elevator upstairs to the Cedar Rapids Radio studios, I was feeling hungry and wanted to find something quick to eat. So I stopped inside Prairie Soup Company.

Having never been there before I simply asked this woman behind the counter "what soup do you have today?" And that's where the magic began.

Behind the counter stood this woman who couldn't be more than 5'1 but had enough energy to fill a country music fest. She explained to me the soups they had available, how all of it was homemade, I "didn't have to worry about that frozen stuff", and gave me all of her suggestions on things I should try.

Now, this is someone I can get along with. She was simply the burst of energy I guess I needed. It takes a minute or two for your sandwich to be heated but hanging out and talking with this woman, it seemed like no time. She explained to me what the radio studios were like, as she has visited them before, how long she's been living in Iowa, her past jobs, she asked me about my new job, how I was liking it, which station am I on, and it was simply a pleasant conversation with a complete stranger. Not only that, the food was great.

I've since learned this lady's name is Lorena and you and I could learn something from her. Everyone has a story. If you simply take the time out of your day to be willing to share and ask questions, you never know who you could meet, and what you can learn about someone.

If you ever have the chance to stop at Prairie Soup Company in Cedar Rapids be sure to say hi to Lorena. She was really nice to me on a day I was nervous to meet a bunch of new people.

Thank you, Lorena.