Christmas in January...

“He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door.”

- John Denver, Rocky Mountain High

Clarice and Charlotte had just spent the day at the World Trade Center in Dallas…Bob and I were picking them up for dinner. 

It would be an evening of good food and pleasant conversation – Bob and Charlotte own a gift shop in Brenham, Texas and Clarice had been one of their best customers.  A staffing need had arisen at the store and Clarice enthusiastically filled the bill…Gift shop, an interesting metaphor…for it became clear, in the course of the evening, both of these women were gifted.

We had a Texas style family meal of ‘chicken fried chicken’ (a new and delicious dish for me), fried okra, mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas – not quite the gluten free diet I have been eating at home, but you know, “…when in Rome…”

How did that happen?

Life is a series of opportunities to say yes and to say no.  As the minutes, hours, days, months and years slip by; we are presented with thousands and thousands of circumstances providing the opportunity to embrace or reject every one of them. 

A ‘no’ provides a predictable outcome – nothing happens.  A yes?  Well two possibilities: Nothing happens…or…OR...something happens.  If something happens, once again we are confronted with the next decision – pretty simple right? Well, maybe…

Life can can get complicated…or at least sometimes we find ourselves in complicated circumstances – all of which, in fact, come from simple ‘two possibility’ decisions we have made along the way…so much can happen from those two completely unavoidable responses to the river circumstance that filters through our minds every day.

Dallas this week was the result of apparently two unrelated situations that provided the opportunity to say yes or no.

Everything has a starting point…

In the late fall of the preceding year, I had met Bob on an airplane on my way to Orlando for some business. It was one of those unguarded moments when it becomes clear, in the rear view mirror of life, it was meant to be.  I was flying an airline I don’t frequently use – a ‘two-legger’ stopping in Houston before heading to the final destination.  The plane was full with the exception of the seat next to me.  I was pretty sure it would remain empty and was looking forward to a little extra room.  Just as I was congratulating myself for a little more comfort, a fairly healthy sized fellow got on late, spotted the seat next to me asked if he might take it…this was my new, yet unknown friend Bob.

Circumstance one: I’m flying an airline I seldom use for the sake of last minute convenience.

Circumstance two: Bob is one of the last people on the flight taking the only seat left on the aircraft.

That flight, and the conversation that unfolded, led to a few emails back and forth, you know, getting to know one another a little.  I told him about the blog and the interest I had in writing in a little broader fashion.  He read some of these weekly wanderings and indicated he had done a little writing too.  Then he suggested we write a little together.

A pause…

The strangeness or maybe better said, fate of Bob’s suggestion is the internal dialogue I have been having for the past several years….I would like to write more, but have not been able to find the theme or words. Blogging weekly has been therapeutic – a whole other topic – BUT expanding this exercise has proved difficult. Two weeks before the flight, I had been talking to my wife about this very thing.

Back on point…

So, I find myself meeting a fellow on a plane, exchanging a couple of emails, and out of the blue he suggests we write something together.   Here was the proposal.  Bob would begin with a few pages and send them to me; I would take that and write a few pages back to him.  No rules, no expectations…more curiously, no storyline!! 

That’s write, er…I mean that’s right!!  There would be no story ahead of time.  We would get our installation and add to it with no prompting from the other fellow.  My first thought was, “Are you kidding me?  I can’t do that…I struggle with the weekly writing.  PLUS I really don’t even know Bob!!”

Be careful what you ask for…

I was then reminded of the story of the old man sitting on his porch watching the rainfall.

“Pretty soon the water was coming over the porch and into the house. A rescue boat came and the people on board said, "You can't stay here you have to come with us."

The old man replied, "No, God will save me." As the waters continued to rise, the old man climbed higher into his house.  Three more rescue boats came by to which the old man responded, "No thanks, God will save me."

Finally, the water overcame the house and the man drowned.

When he got to heaven and saw God he asked,  "Why didn't you save me?"
God replied, "I sent four boats after you man!! What more did you expect me to do?"

I had been looking for a pathway, and out of nowhere Bob entered my life suggesting we write something together….Not only this, he was experienced and could provide guidance.  What more could I expect God to do!!??

So we began to write, and by now have exchanged installments four or five times with about 20 pages of continuity and dialogue – something I have never done.  The best part is that Bob is gentle and encouraging, and by the way, more than a pretty good writer! 

Oh yeah, Dallas….

Bob thought it might be a good idea to get together sometime.  I was going to be in Austin in the fall, so maybe Molly and I could drive from there for a visit.  He said, Austin would be good, but it seemed a long way off…I got it, but what can you do?

A week later, I was asked to participate in a site visit to Dallas the third week in January for a professional society to which I belong.  As it turned out Bob, Charlotte and Clarice were going to be there on business too. He would, by the way, have a little free time. Wait a minute!! After my site visit I would, by the oddest of circumstance, have a little free time.

As an old friend might have said, “Even a dead rabbit would get this.”

It turns out, in the gift store business, storeowners purchase much of what is seen on the shelves at Christmas, in January.  Now, as I learned at dinner, one could wait until June, but by then the best things would be gone.  So here were Charlotte and Clarice betting on their years of experience and good judgment to get ready for Christmas next year.  Here I was for a site visit, and here was Bob…none of this could hardly have been planned by any of us!

There's a meaning here somewhere...

There is little that happens in life that doesn’t require action.  Indeed life really only rewards action.  Well, I suspect it would be important for action to produce a result.  But all of it…all of it begins with an affirmation or rejection of the circumstances presented to us.

Dinner in Dallas was the result of a couple of strangers on an airplane to Florida…in an unforeseen moment in time…saying yes.  ‘Yes’ to the unknown…’yes’ to a destination uncertain…’yes’ to a friendship, whatever shape it may take.  Certainty? There is none, but must everything be certain?  After all, isn’t it really about the journey?

I don’t know where any of this will go, but man, that fried okra was excellent!!

- ted