Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.
Nothing, always something… More than that. Nothing at all.
Yup, this is what went through my head this instant.
Prompt
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
There were a couple of those encounters in my life.
There was the time two strangers hugged me. One November night in Brussels. After a concert of the absolute awesome band Her Name is Calla. They played a brilliant set. Took pics with fans and gave autographs. They were stars that night. And even though they had invited me for the gig, I was almost certain that I was forgotten after the show… I told the story of Adam and Tom often. It is one of the most important encounters of my adult life. To these strangers, I was a music lover, I was a woman, I was Cathy. I was not reduced to being the mom of, the partner of… I was just me. And they liked that person. They had drunk and laughed and sung with that person. An entire night long. And at the end of that night, they hugged me. Here comes the sentence I always write or mention: they hugged me so tightly that some broken pieces of my soul found a way back together. Cheesy? Maybe. But it is the truth for sure.
There was the time I spent a weekend with two strangers. It’s been on my mind a lot lately. In a good way. A very good way. I am not sure I would drive to the Netherlands like this again. But I did that weekend. I celebrated a birthday with them. And we had some very awesome days. Things happened that didn’t happen since. Which makes it all the more special. If I had just been less weird that weekend we would probably still be in touch. But, no need for regrets, I made those once in a lifetime memories. I will never forget.
And there was that time when I told a homeless addict the time and he treated me as if I had just given him a million bucks. I remember that moment very well. I was late for a job interview and this man approached me. I was almost certain he would ask for money, but he asked for the time. I told him and his face lit up. He then told me that he had asked several people and they had all ignored him. He also told me that they had all looked through him as if he didn’t exist. His expression became sad. He thanked me for having helped him out and for having held eye contact with him. Apparently, he was not used to that anymore. This certainly stuck with me.
It’s all me me me, but those or just 3 encounters that stayed with me and changed something inside of me. How about you? ❤️
Prompt
What is the last thing you learned?
Everyone we meet leaves a piece of them with us. I knew that before, for sure. But I was reminded of it this week, when a relatif passed away. Yesterday, his ashes were scattered and I was by far more affected than I thought I would be. I cried a lot. Because of the eulogies but also because of the songs that went along. Dire Straits – brothers in arms, I barely kept it together as soon as it started. It’s always an emotional song for me, but yesterday, it pulled the rug from underneath my feet quite unexpectedly. Mark Knopfler and Van Morrison – last laugh, Amalia cried a lot while hearing this one, me too. The last laugh of someone you love, remembering that is quite painful. And the last song that was played was Monty Python’s always look on the bright side of life. It made us all grin.
Then the ashes were scattered. It was the first time I witnessed this. And as if Dennis would have known that the ceremony was over, heavens opened up and it began pouring, not raining or drizzling, pouring. His last will (and it was written down) was that he wanted us to have a pint of Guinness to celebrate his life, which we did at an Irish Pub.
I often wrote about hugs and how they have impacted me. I hope that my hugs can do the same. I don’t want or need to know if they do, but yeah, it would be nice if I left some impact too.
Sometimes it feels as if I go unnoticed all the time. And most often, that is very okay. But let me share one of my deepest secrets: the writing, the social media… all of it comes from the want of leaving a trace. At the end of my life, I want people to say that at least I was visible. Be it with pics of vinyl albums on IG, or with nonsense on Twitter, or with the many words I wrote on this very blog.
That thought brings me back to what I learnt yesterday: everyone we meet leaves a piece of them with us. ❤️💜❤️💜
reflections of an unquiet mind 