Tangent #9: God tells her not to worry

He has another coffee in his right hand and is sitting rather comfortably on a park bench. He loves to watch the ducks and geese when the weather outside is fine.

"You can't live your life worrying out it," he said quite directly. She was on the ground cross-legged, picking at the nail beds on her right hand.

She needed to quit doing that someday. Some childhood habits die hard.
And leave scars.

"You have wounded yourself badly," he commented dryly.

"I can't seem to stop. I know it's a terrible, ugly habit," she responded. "My mother says..."

"You're too old for it - for all of it," he reminded.

In that moment, she couldn't decide if he was talking about her, her mother, her mutilated fingertips or hell, life in general. She stared at him. He had a nice smile.

"You're never going to know everything," he told her. "You have to believe me. You have to believe him too. He tells you what he knows. You should believe her too."

"But," she began...

"That was almost ten years ago. I promise you, that's not what will happen to you again. After all, I should know."

She had nothing to say to this. How does one really argue with God anyway? Technically, you can't. He always wins.

"This coffee is delicious," he remarked.

They never spoke of her fingers again.

Spring Memory #1

In real life, it takes less than five minutes to send an email. It seems everyone has access to the big red button on the executive desk. It makes it easier, much easier, to lower the boom.

I really don't have anything to say. Honestly, I think it is best for us to maintain a professional relationship at work and leave it at that. Basically, I'm not convinced your original email was not at least sub-consciously malicious, if not as a result of my party, then something else. I really don't think there is anything that can be done about that. That had a significant negative effect on me at work, and I have yet to receive at least an apology for the effect, even if nothing negative was intended. On a strictly professional level, that's fine, but as a friend, it's hurtful, particularly after everything we have gone through together. I do wish you all the best and am very sad at how things have turned out between us personally. The past few weeks have been very difficult for me. I will of course always continue to be cordial, I just can't bear any more personal relationships that lack trust. And whether or not it's warranted from your perspective, at this point my trust is gone.

The era to break up over coffee or dinner is over, my friend. The John Dear letter died officially when phones went from bags to pockets. (Some believe it died in the 80s, but this is not true.)

Human emotion is now digital. It is high speed.

I think it's true, what they say. The robots are winning.

And I don't know what to do about that.

Insert emoticon.