Ruminations

Perhaps it's a delusion, but as one ages, ruminations become more protracted; that is, they take longer. To add to the experience this morning, while pondering the role we play in each other's lives, I added the dimension of time. Have u noticed how sometimes things'll take decades to have an effect; others are instantaneous?

And perhaps u 2 have noticed it's often impossible to tell when it's happening. Oh sure, sometimes you can feel the connection when you're making love. But what about the times in the checkout line (the one at the store, not the one to the Pearly Gates) when someone told you something that's stayed with you the rest of your life?

One that occurred in my mid-30s: 

I was then a marketing analyst (diff from analist) at the University of New Mexico Press. I was strolling back to my office from a satisfying lunch (paunch not even embryonic) when a woman of slender build and dark, intense eyes wearing a t-shirt and black form-fitting slacks moved from her line of travel and stopped in front of me. I, of course, stopped too. As our eyes met, I noted a focused look that, as I was soon to learn, foretold a moment of amazing worth. 

Using her index finger as an attention-getter she positioned it directly under "Mr. Nose" where it quivered like a cat's tail before the pounce. Then, in a tone that left no room for rejoinder she said, "When someone gives you something, say thank you!" And with nothing more, she stepped aside and proceeded on her way. It took a moment but soon I too resumed. Although this bit of manner was first imparted when I was still a toddler, THIS time it made an impression. 

It was soon after that (incident) that I noticed how my karate instructor always concluded our phone conversations with an enthusiastic, "Thanks!" 

It's been over twenty-five years since the woman on the street, but the memory is still vivid. And to this day...I follow her advice.

Watch for the small but pivotal (link is to a video) role of the cat.