Letters from a stranger

I learned many things this week during my various intersections with humans in my life.

From a pair of relative strangers, I knew what it was to grieve and love through someone else's memory.

From a group of clients, I learned the power of chemistry - one girl requested that her class be reunited for next session. "You can take care of that, right? Because I don't think I want to do this without them." I watched a woman 6 times their age hand over her card, encouraging these young girls to call anytime - just to talk. She drove 50 miles back to Minneapolis, racing the setting sun.

From a past love, I learned the power of peace - because begrudgery only lead me to obsession and sadness. The days are fleeting and begging for the lightness that regret never allows.

From a rascal, I learned that I was maybe less dramatic than I once believed. I think what happens to a soul on it's way down a new path is something best described as a scattering - thrown in several directions at one time, and trying to pull everything together to make a whole. I learned that "Well, it happened, and there's no taking it back now."

I learned that meeting the parents is not always that big of a deal - and that school teachers can run with the bulls in Pamplona, or scream and carry on in a cab in Japan. Lawyers sometimes bike to work, looking like aliens all lit up on their trek downtown.

From a writer and a thinker, I learned that "get in the pool" life theories are good, and ones I need to follow more often. Throw your whole body at your target, I've learned.