Because what's worse than being talked about
is NOT being talked about! I threatened to write something about my friend Majella. And no, I don't make idle threats...
Though of course as threats go, it's not a very intimidating one. I mean really, Majella's a cool person, a lovely lady and great fun. I suppose over the course of time I might eventually see something unpleasant about her but in the meantime, she's just a fascinating, thoughtful, insightful, caring friend. I'm fortunate to have crossed paths with her.
Interestingly enough, though I've known who she was for quite a long time, we've only recently actually said more than a cordial hello/goodbye to each other. And now the conversation has meandered over a sprawling vista of topics, sometimes challenging, sometimes entertaining, always enlightening. Some has been a timely reminder of things I once knew, and need to know again (and really ought not to have forgotten in the first place...). Sometimes I think I needed to have had these conversations long ago. But I suppose, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" - I probably wasn't ready.
We meet a lot of people in life. Some would say that every person you meet carries a lesson for you, every event is driven by a purpose. Sometimes I think that's just our poor human minds seeking the psychological comfort of a pattern in this random existence, projecting designs in a vain attempt to divine a hoped-for underlying order, and predict the next link in a chain of events. Other times I'm certain that there really is a purpose, a lesson to be learned in each encounter. Maybe a less deterministic way to look at it is that everything that happens, every one you meet, provides an *opportunity* for you to learn. It's always up to you to recognize the opportunity, and then absorb the lesson. I look over my past and wonder a lot about certain people who have come and gone, wondering what their role was in their brief intersection with my life. I look around me now and wonder about the people present, wondering at their role and how long they'll continue to be present.
But there are a few people who stand out, who just so obviously have some wisdom to offer, that all you have to do is absorb it and appreciate it. Majella is one of those people.
Though of course as threats go, it's not a very intimidating one. I mean really, Majella's a cool person, a lovely lady and great fun. I suppose over the course of time I might eventually see something unpleasant about her but in the meantime, she's just a fascinating, thoughtful, insightful, caring friend. I'm fortunate to have crossed paths with her.
Interestingly enough, though I've known who she was for quite a long time, we've only recently actually said more than a cordial hello/goodbye to each other. And now the conversation has meandered over a sprawling vista of topics, sometimes challenging, sometimes entertaining, always enlightening. Some has been a timely reminder of things I once knew, and need to know again (and really ought not to have forgotten in the first place...). Sometimes I think I needed to have had these conversations long ago. But I suppose, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" - I probably wasn't ready.
We meet a lot of people in life. Some would say that every person you meet carries a lesson for you, every event is driven by a purpose. Sometimes I think that's just our poor human minds seeking the psychological comfort of a pattern in this random existence, projecting designs in a vain attempt to divine a hoped-for underlying order, and predict the next link in a chain of events. Other times I'm certain that there really is a purpose, a lesson to be learned in each encounter. Maybe a less deterministic way to look at it is that everything that happens, every one you meet, provides an *opportunity* for you to learn. It's always up to you to recognize the opportunity, and then absorb the lesson. I look over my past and wonder a lot about certain people who have come and gone, wondering what their role was in their brief intersection with my life. I look around me now and wonder about the people present, wondering at their role and how long they'll continue to be present.
But there are a few people who stand out, who just so obviously have some wisdom to offer, that all you have to do is absorb it and appreciate it. Majella is one of those people.