Monday, June 05, 2006

Early Morning Ramblings



Last weekend, I had the joy and opportunity to have a late night conversation with a special friend whom I hadn't seen or really talked to in years. After the hoopla and hilarity of the previous evening activity, where 200 people had interacted amidst the excitement of a reunion, the unplanned quiet moment I shared with this one person was not lost on me. It felt like a gift.


During the course of our early morning/late night "catch up" we initially attempted to cover a lot of ground..... trying to convey to each other the one story that could easily sum up 2 decades of life lived. Impossible task, yes. But, we gave it our best shot. Then, we moved onto talking about what we were thinking at that present moment. That's when the conversation shifted into memorable. That's when the flow of time and talk merged and stood still..........


Something happens to a conversation during the wee hours of the night. You tend to let your guard down. You tend to feel more free to express your true thoughts.......unfiltered and with deeper intensity of emotion. It's a naked sort of feeling, because you can for whatever reason bare your soul and not feel intimidated by the "accepted norms" of daytime conversations. When this happens, time seems to stand still, because it feels like a cocooning of the minds. The whole dark world gets blocked out and what is left are two people enjoying the flow of honesty.... a light flickering connection.....in hushed tones.


These opportunities are rare in our busy lives, and yet they are precious. Maybe because they are so rare that they retain the glitter. What's also interesting is that they are always unplanned. Over the years for example, especially before my children were born, my husband and I would find ourselves driving through the night on the way to our "hometown" for a vacation or family celebration. Our best conversations often happen in the car when we are free of daily distractions. We both recognize this. Even though this activity occurs regularly, there are some conversations that remain more memorable, more meaningful.


It's the same with campfires................I've sat around hundreds of campfires, mezmerized by the flickering dance of the fire............ and yet, I can tell you which ones hold special meaning to me. They are the unplanned late night relaxing moments where everyone at the same time feels free and safe enough to talk from their heart and the listener(s) are supportively receptive.


Unplanned, unfettered, uninhibited sharing of your soul, when you can be yourself and when you know that your special friend is right there feeling the same thing...... that you wouldn't want to be anywhere else in that captured moment in time.

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