Mostly brief encounters in Seattle

I'd checked the schedule online and knew that several trains were leaving the Seattle terminal that afternoon, so I took the bus there at 3:00 pm, and there was a line for the next train. I took in the scene, maybe 80 people waiting in line- plenty of people to choose from. Who would be my first targets?
I pulled out the train tracts from my backpack and the line started to move. No time to waste, I walked up to two people who seemed like they'd be interested- backpackers. Travellers with stories to tell. I introduced myself and gave a brief introduction to the project. The guy was from Spain and didn't speak English very well, and his friend was from here so she helped to explain. In the couple minutes of our interaction, the guy decided this was interesting and the girl wasn't sure it was. I pointed out the return address and that the postage was paid one moment before they received their seating assignment, and they were off. It occurred to me that the American may have been wary that there was some catch, something to pay, some ulterior motive. In future interactions I made sure to spell out that no donations were being asked for or fees being charged.
Results of my interactions on the whole were mixed. Different aspects of the project appealed to different people- some were excited about being part of this artsy creative project while others were afraid they wouldn't be able to contribute anything creative enough. With several people who were interested in the project I found myself encouraging them to write whatever they felt like writing, without regard for deep poetic lyricism or some other such nonsense- just write whatever, wherever. Interestingly, I find myself at this moment giving myself the same encouragement. I don't necessarily consider myself a writer, and neither did most people to whom I handed these beautiful creations; such beautiful products were worthy of lofty, or gritty, or raw well-relayed human experience, with each different design seeming to ask for a different kind of story from their new temporary owners.
The two tracts I'd be most interested in reading are the ones I handed to the train conductor and to the 65-year old woman who had never before been on a train. I hadn't thought about giving a tract to the conductor until after everyone was on board and his train was in fact the next to arrive, and we started talking. He was immediately interested and said his parents had encouraged him to write a book about his experiences as a train conductor, a post he'd held for some 30 years. He thoroughly enjoyed his job, and made it more fun by making up stories from time to time. One of his favorites was of an elderly woman who had a habit of taking her canoe down the white water river the train went next to, usually at the same time the train went by. This story he would broadcast to everyone on the train over the speakers, with obvious gusto- he relayed the white-water blow-by-blow of Little Miss So-and-So (he had a name for her) to me the same way he would on the train. You had to look quickly or you'd miss it!...which in fact everyone did, because the story was completely fabricated by this conductor. He just loved the story and getting people to crane their necks in awe and curiosity toward the river. I'd expect some good material from him.
Then, secondly, the woman who'd never been on a train. She was nervous about the trip, she said, but she liked writing, and was really excited to have something to do to take her mind off her fear. I think this project meant the most to her of all the people I met.
Most people were interested in seeing the different designs when there was a minute to look through them. If I remember correctly, the tract with the light pink lacey material housing a plastic cockroach was the last to be disseminated, and to someone who actually appreciated the juxtaposition.
Giving away beautiful gifts is always fun. Thank you for providing!
Sander