On Fate

There are magical places in my life that hold special memories; places that I love to return to and feel ... content. Like my life is as it is supposed to be, that things make sense. They are talismans, these places, and they weave together the as-yet-unfinished story of my life, following possibility. Going where doors open, learning to listen to my heart.

To name a few of these places: my fireplace here in Tuscany. The fainting couch at Weavers' Cottage. The island of St. John. My mother's balcony. A diveboat on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland. A bowling alley in Kentucky. The block I grew up on and the playground at my old elementary school. A cabin in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Behind main stage at my hometown's summer festival. The crazy hotdog stand near my old highschool...

And the Round Robin Bar at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. For all its stuffiness and crazy over-priced drinks, some of my favorite Washington memories were made in that bar: Martinis with the girls. Bourbon with Mr. Big. Bloody Marys on Sunday mornings. Sitting with Beamer, when he looked at me and said, "oh my god, you're in love with him, aren't you?" And New Year's Day 2005 with UBlend, when he threatened to make the entire bar sing 'The Hills Are Alive'.

UBlend returned 10 days ago to that same bar, and penned this poem ... which he sent to me today, an early Christmas gift, reminding me that life just ... is. Choose it, embrace it, live it to the fullest: you get only one.

Fate

Fate happens,
Sometimes unnoticed,
Many times unassuming,
Always for a reason.

It can be overwhelming,
Breathless,
With a rush,
Almost with a tinge of fear

It can be overlooked
Innocently,
With no thought,
All together a non-event.

It is real,
Powerful,
With unexpected consequences,
Never with full disclosure.

Fate happens,
We can see it or we can ignore it,
It changes our world,
It changes our lives.