I head that song on an episonde of Bones the other night and fell in love with it! I love Joshua Radin's voice and style! So enthralling really. But that's not why I'm taking the time to write this entry. It's casual aquaintences, past a present, that have impacted me so much I've been thinking about. One girl on my friends list Mila sent me an email reminding me how she and I have stayed in touch for over 5 years now! We've never lived in the same city, never spoken on the phone, and know very little about each other's daily lives...and yet we remain in contact.I have had so many chance encounters that will forever be with me. One that sticks out in recent memory was back almost 8 years ago...wow...seems like weeks ago. It was just after I'd turned 18 and things were starting to head down a really crappy path with my folks--they were tightening up on me more than before. I was making poor choices in friends and letting my anger and selfishness dictate my emotions more and more. Well, it was the 4th of July, back in 2001. My family was celebrating with my cousin, Natasha's church...it was GREAT day. We all had so much fun. We started our own water fight, and there was a younger boy who joined us. I didn't recognize him from the youth from my cousin's church, I just figured he was someone's friend or family member I didn't know. It was obvious he was flirting with me...which was odd because guys don't flirt with me--at least not with serious intentions....yeah whole 'nother story. So I found it fun, some boy was interested in me...not one of my sisters. So I was bold, and brash with him, I would walk up very...VERY close and ask him a couple questions, then walk away before he would finish speaking. It was harmless flirting. Well I finally stopped being (my version) of coy and talked to him, found out he was 16, and from Idaho, and his name was Chris. He was visiting his grandparents for the summer. I told him I was 18...and not interested. He didn't seem detoured, he told me it was ok, he liked girls who were older. I got embaressed and walked away...he follwed me. He was hanging around my sisters and my cousin's, trying to talk to me. I was tired of being wet from the water fight and went looking for a towel, and came to find out one of my younger siblings had snatched up the last dry one. So I kept on saying how cold I was--there was a slight wind, and in Seattle, even on the 4th of July it wasn't all that warm. Well before I knew what was going on, the kid stood directly behind me...blocking the wind. It didn't take me long to realize what he was doing...that made my day! Some silly little 16yr old boy named Chris was kind enough to want to block the wind for me...it touched me in a way that I won't soon forget. I was very disillusioned about guys by that point...and to have that young man block the wind for me...it was probably one of the sweetest and selfless things anyone has done for me--who barely knew me that is. Casual encounters can be something amazing, and terrible. I've had plenty of those...but somehow the good ones, always seem to outweigh the bad ones. I'm blessed in that respect, blessed to have good memories to draw on to remind me that I'm not as hard-hearted as I feel. Everyone I have ever met has served a purpose and taught me something valuable. They have helped mold me into who I am today, the good and bad, they have contributed to the woman I am today...and I hope that I can contribute to those around me. If nothing more then an open ear and heart to give them some hope. That's what I want...to give hope and encouragement...to be a light.
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