growing in the goo

la di dah

yesterday E and I were walking in Silver Spring and we were talking about how life is kinda sketchy right now. I don't have a job, she's not too happy with the way things are going in her world. I started going on about how just like in the beginning months of freshman year, life after college was the same. We didn't have friends, we didn't know what was going on. Then I said, "pretty soon, E, we are going to hit our stride. We are going to just hit it and everything will be smooth."

Then she tripped.

I have to start carrying around a video camera with me.

Yesterday I met up with L.W. and we had chinese food outside in a busy square. He was talking about some girl that he was interested in when this man came up to us holding a bunch of roses. Kind of looking over our heads, he goes "Now look at her, she's so beautiful. She is so beautiful."

At this point, I'm looking over my shoulder trying to find this stunning speciman of a woman that he was going on about.

He's still talking, and saying "Now, I don't know if you're at the beginning of a relationship, the end, or the middle, but she is just so good looking. You should buy her a rose to show how much she means to you."

I then realized that he was talking about me and L.W. And he kept going on and on, waxing poetic about me. I was blushing and feeling kinda foolish. And feeling like an unsuspecting pawn in this man's game! L.W. acts like the gentleman he is, and gets out his wallet and asks for how much he should buy the rose.

Rose Man goes "Now man, I can't make that decision for you. It's however much you think she's worth." So then L.W. says "2 dollars?" while I chime in "10 cents?" and Rose Man all of sudden stops his nice guy routine, makes a don't-mess-with-me face, and says "Hey. 3 dollars."

We left the rose on the bench for anyone who might come along to claim it. Maybe it brightened someone's day?

Today me, E and C-note visited one of our professors from the past two years. I'm totally in love with this guy. Not in an indecent way, but in a "I think he's the greatest in the whole world and my absolute favorite teacher ever" way. Well, he's been really sick. Like, seriously, dangerously ill. When he came to his office, he hugged us and we could feel how thin he's gotten. We talked for about twenty minutes, chatting about jobs, etc. When talking to him, you could tell by the way that he was looking at our faces that he was just so happy to see the three of us sitting in his office, talking and laughing. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but me, E and C-note really know how to light up a room. Something about the way we interact with each other that just works.

Then he had to go to class.

He thanked us profusely for visiting him. But really, it was our pleasure. We had missed him and had been worrying about him. He has been in our thoughts and our prayers. I'm sitting here thinking about him, seeing how his illness has changed his appearance and thinking about how he's still working hard and doing the best he can in everything.

So here's to people who change our lives, who taught us so many things. There are some people that you meet that you feel an instant connection to. They know how to talk so that you want to listen, they know how to make you feel fantastic and worthwhile. And you shouldn't let those people go, no matter where life leads you or no matter how hard it is to keep in touch with them.

because that connection is something that is very, very special.