Friday, October 14, 2005
Friday Oct. 14, 2005 - Year 3, Day 207 - tribute to a friend
2C/36F, short walk in the dark; Gusta acting quite frisky after a couple of days of being a sick puppy
what will happen the next time you have a chance encounter with a stranger ? . . someone in line at the grocery store, the next seat at a luncheon, at the coffee counter ?
taste the adventure of taking time to explore one person – though who knows which to choose & which to ignore ?
I often wonder about two things – firstly, the one that might have got away because, in a moment not seized, I missed an opportunity
the other . . . is when a step taken produces an extraordinary result, of how profoundly different my life experience would be without that person who entered my life that day
those of you who have been reading musings for a while notice many references to KT . . but rarely see written feedback from her
I met this incredibly precious friend 3 years ago & treasure the ‘step’ we each took to get acquainted vis-à-vis moving along . . .
among many things she has done to inspire me, my very close & dear friend has written the preface for the book I am working on; here it is:
Preface
“The interesting thing about the communication process is that in one way or another it allows us to express the words that come from within us. Whether they are written, spoken or sung, they fly through space charged with the echoes of all the other voices that have preceded them. They travel through the air bathed with the saliva from other mouths, humming with the vibrations of other ears, and throbbing with the beat of thousands of hearts. They cling to the very core of our memories and lie there in silence until a new desire awakens them and recharges them with loving energy. This is one of the qualities of words that moves me most, their capacity for transmitting love. Like water, words are a wonderful conductor of energy. And the most powerful, transforming energy is the energy of love.”
- Laura Esquivel, Swift as Desire, Translated from Spanish
It wasn’t a glance across a crowded room, a brisk business handshake, or chance seating on an airplane. Our eyes didn’t meet over a heap of green beans at the grocery store, we didn’t stand shoulder to shoulder in an elevator, and we didn’t say hello at a cousin’s wedding.
We met on the internet. With words. In the world of cyber-dating, populated as it is with a wide variety of ever hopeful personalities and characters, Mark was a refreshing change from linguistic knuckle draggers. He was, and is, witty and smart…a man of words. It didn’t hurt that he is proficient at the keyboard– with this requisite, the witty repartee, the obvious good humour, and the thoughtful sensitivity that is his trademark virtually flew off the screen. So what happened, you might ask? We live thousands of miles apart. My unwillingness to leap the geographical divide has had an unexpected bonus – a life altering friendship that flourishes on written and spoken conversation.
There is common parlance in the e-love world. There are those who are concerned with “baggage”…some travel light and require that interested parties have checked their hang up bags somewhere along the way. Others say that they have “done the work” and are “emotionally available”; although accurate, it would be trite to say that Mark has, and is, because he continually does the work and becomes more emotionally generous every day.
Mark’s decision to walk and talk each day to a disparate group of friends, family, business colleagues, romantic interests, and just plain folks can be viewed as either vanity or generosity. Musings began like this…a plan to get outside and walk each day, to turn off the phone, to connect with nature, to exercise body and brain. But he also imposes this daily discipline upon himself to exercise the craft of writing. Writers write. As Mark connected with nature, stilling his often frenetic energy and absorbing the subtle shifts and nuances of nature, there is less observation of distractions, and more musings.
Mark asks what if, and why not? He looks at internal and external forces that shape and drive the engine of self. The musings are candid, honest, and often raw. There is courage here that is akin to putting one’s head inside the lion’s mouth every day and then reporting to hundreds of people that “today I was brave” or “today I tickled his tonsils”, or “today I was scared witless” or “ today he nicked my ear”.
It is said that when a human being is deprived of one of the five basic senses, the others are heightened in a compensatory effort. Mark cannot smell. But he has a heightened sense of compassion, humor, awe, and inquisitiveness. That he chooses to share this with his musing pals is a daily treat.
When Mark first began musings, I suggested that it was contribution toward global warming. After a year, I want him, and you, to know that he can tear a hole in my sky any day.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
so, next time you have a chance to ring a phone, answer an e-mail or speak to the next person in a line-up, take the chance that person will profoundly affect your life & become a lifelong friend you love dearly . . .
Mark
342,704
what will happen the next time you have a chance encounter with a stranger ? . . someone in line at the grocery store, the next seat at a luncheon, at the coffee counter ?
taste the adventure of taking time to explore one person – though who knows which to choose & which to ignore ?
I often wonder about two things – firstly, the one that might have got away because, in a moment not seized, I missed an opportunity
the other . . . is when a step taken produces an extraordinary result, of how profoundly different my life experience would be without that person who entered my life that day
those of you who have been reading musings for a while notice many references to KT . . but rarely see written feedback from her
I met this incredibly precious friend 3 years ago & treasure the ‘step’ we each took to get acquainted vis-à-vis moving along . . .
among many things she has done to inspire me, my very close & dear friend has written the preface for the book I am working on; here it is:
Preface
“The interesting thing about the communication process is that in one way or another it allows us to express the words that come from within us. Whether they are written, spoken or sung, they fly through space charged with the echoes of all the other voices that have preceded them. They travel through the air bathed with the saliva from other mouths, humming with the vibrations of other ears, and throbbing with the beat of thousands of hearts. They cling to the very core of our memories and lie there in silence until a new desire awakens them and recharges them with loving energy. This is one of the qualities of words that moves me most, their capacity for transmitting love. Like water, words are a wonderful conductor of energy. And the most powerful, transforming energy is the energy of love.”
- Laura Esquivel, Swift as Desire, Translated from Spanish
It wasn’t a glance across a crowded room, a brisk business handshake, or chance seating on an airplane. Our eyes didn’t meet over a heap of green beans at the grocery store, we didn’t stand shoulder to shoulder in an elevator, and we didn’t say hello at a cousin’s wedding.
We met on the internet. With words. In the world of cyber-dating, populated as it is with a wide variety of ever hopeful personalities and characters, Mark was a refreshing change from linguistic knuckle draggers. He was, and is, witty and smart…a man of words. It didn’t hurt that he is proficient at the keyboard– with this requisite, the witty repartee, the obvious good humour, and the thoughtful sensitivity that is his trademark virtually flew off the screen. So what happened, you might ask? We live thousands of miles apart. My unwillingness to leap the geographical divide has had an unexpected bonus – a life altering friendship that flourishes on written and spoken conversation.
There is common parlance in the e-love world. There are those who are concerned with “baggage”…some travel light and require that interested parties have checked their hang up bags somewhere along the way. Others say that they have “done the work” and are “emotionally available”; although accurate, it would be trite to say that Mark has, and is, because he continually does the work and becomes more emotionally generous every day.
Mark’s decision to walk and talk each day to a disparate group of friends, family, business colleagues, romantic interests, and just plain folks can be viewed as either vanity or generosity. Musings began like this…a plan to get outside and walk each day, to turn off the phone, to connect with nature, to exercise body and brain. But he also imposes this daily discipline upon himself to exercise the craft of writing. Writers write. As Mark connected with nature, stilling his often frenetic energy and absorbing the subtle shifts and nuances of nature, there is less observation of distractions, and more musings.
Mark asks what if, and why not? He looks at internal and external forces that shape and drive the engine of self. The musings are candid, honest, and often raw. There is courage here that is akin to putting one’s head inside the lion’s mouth every day and then reporting to hundreds of people that “today I was brave” or “today I tickled his tonsils”, or “today I was scared witless” or “ today he nicked my ear”.
It is said that when a human being is deprived of one of the five basic senses, the others are heightened in a compensatory effort. Mark cannot smell. But he has a heightened sense of compassion, humor, awe, and inquisitiveness. That he chooses to share this with his musing pals is a daily treat.
When Mark first began musings, I suggested that it was contribution toward global warming. After a year, I want him, and you, to know that he can tear a hole in my sky any day.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
so, next time you have a chance to ring a phone, answer an e-mail or speak to the next person in a line-up, take the chance that person will profoundly affect your life & become a lifelong friend you love dearly . . .
Mark
342,704
