The other day I had one of those odd moments we all have. My intention was only to have dinner. But I found myself surrounded by an assembly of personalities and presences that left me with something; an idea, a thought, a reminder; of how resilient we can be.
There was an older couple, perhaps in their 70's. She was Mediterranean. Her hair was disheveled but she wore jeans that had been pressed. He was boyish. Slightly overweight, but with James Dean hair, albeit white. They both wore glasses. I don't think they were married. Their conversation was not that of a couple who had been together for a long time. Their individual patterns of expression were not in sync, but varied. I realized after a few minutes, that the woman was the stronger of the two; she was alpha. Her face was lively and animated and she spoke with excitement. I could not hear what they were discussing, but it didn't matter. It is often the case that actual words convey much less than the whole of the expression of body and tone. He was duller. He organized things on the table, noticed details, cleaned spots. She was on to much larger things. She seemed to be telling stories, pointing out possibilities, providing direction. When she walked there was confidence in her gait. He moved heavily, along side her. She was only a simple older woman, but I felt I was in the presence of something much more, some sort of large spirit with enormous resilience.
At another table, was a small family. The man was in his fifties. He had white hair, that was fairly long, and was balding slightly. He was thin, and looked like someone who does Yoga. His skin was bronzed and shiny. He was with his wife, a quiet, non-descript woman, also in her fifties, with straight brown hair, and glasses. Their daughter was in her early 20's. She was striking, but mostly because of her youth. During their conversation, the father directed all his conversation to her. The mother seemed to be an outsider. It felt odd, as if the father was on a date. He flirted with his daughter, and tried to impress her with his knowledge of the world. The daughter seemed not to notice the flirting on the surface. But she must have sensed it at some level. I wondered how the mother could just sit in silence, as some sort of table accessory. The whole thing felt a little sick and unhealthy. At the same time, the things the father talked about were interesting to hear. "New Zealand was a warrior country. Australia was once covered in grass, but the Aborigines felt it could be a danger, so burned it all off, creating the current landscape. Rabbits did well there, as there were no predators. The male Kangaroos will fight to the death, until they achieve their position."
Life is beautiful.
