A Second Return to the Current State of Why
A lot of snail mail arrives at my parent’s house for me. A few odds and ends from places I never updated my address on, Urban Outfitter’s catalog (no matter how many times I ask to be taken off because if I needed to know what was happening at UO, I’d look it up online), my DMV renewal. This means that every month or so, my mom hands me a swatch of paper: mail, articles her and my dad cut out for me (recently he’s been clipping dating related articles along with his usual financial planning and health faves, which is really sweet).
This month was different.
This month, my mom included a copy of my high school ‘zine that I produced, fyshfood (#2). Yes, I was the kid that spend time making a zine full of doodles, images I cut out of magazines, and lots of somewhat angsty deep-thought writing.
Reading through fyshfood #2 I discovered something related to 50/50. At age 16, I unknowingly wrote down what would become the basis for why I love first dates, why I deem them successful even without a second date, and really, a core idea of who I am.
So here it is, straight from 16 year old me (yeah yeah, I used to ee cummings it up – but I swear I had no idea who he was until Kathy told me about him):
we all come to these points in our lives, where we are at the top of two paths. and we are stuck deciding which grassy lane to walk down. we come to these places all the time. each decision we have to make is a turning point. our lives could be changed because of a simple “hello.” by a smile. and the most important decisions we make aren’t necessarily those really big ones, like where are going to college, or what to do with our lives. they are the ones about who you are going to talk to. if you are going to try to make a new friend, or let the world of nameless people run by you. maybe i just think this because i believe that communications is a big reason as to why we are here. to talk and to laugh and to have fun with other people. the influence of one person can totally change your life. people can bring new ideas to you, and can make you think. they can give you the push down a path that you never even looked at before. i love to meet new people. i love to talk to people, to exchange ideas, to share a laugh. when i walk down the street, i have the urge to talk to the people sitting there. i want to ask them what they eat for breakfast, or what they do in their free time. i want to ask where they went to college, and what they majored in. i want to hear their stories. sometimes i make up scenarios for what people do and why they are going to wherever they are off too. maybe i just have too much time on my hands. i love to watch people at my school. i wonder what they are thinking about. i wonder if they are shallow, or if they actually have deep thoughts. i wonder if they generate thoughts of their own, or if they repeat what others say. i wonder what they think of the death penalty. there are so many interesting people to talk to.
Catch it? Here it is: The influence of one person can totally change your life. That’s it. That’s why.
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