Friendly Space

There is a certain woman with whom I interact frequently.  I have had a few very upsetting conflicts with her.  For a while, I had tried to be friendly towards her, hoping that would get good results.  It did not.  My friendly overtures were met with a range of responses from indifference to hostility.  I gave up trying to improve relations with her and chose to ignore her, as awkward as that felt.

However, the other day, she wrote me an email that said “thank you” — nothing more — in response to something I did for a group we’re in.  That brief thank you touched me, in that it told me she recognized that she was benefiting from my efforts.  More than anything, though, it seemed she was trying to reach across the divide between us and I appreciated that gesture.

Evidence of a friendly universe: people reaching across the divides between us, especially those created by disagreement.

Q

Today, an evening performance at which I was booked got cancelled leaving me with a huge chunk of extra time.  I had some chores I needed to do for my day job work and was pleased to be able to go about them without feeling stressed by a near-term deadline.  I was pretty much able to work at a nice, easy pace, take my time and do my best work, which felt pretty good. The cancelled performance also eliminated several other chores related to the performance (showering, shaving, commuting) which further relaxed my schedule.

Evidence of a friendly universe: having the chance to work at a casual pace.

Q

This morning I found the contents of someone’s wallet on the street, along the bike lane — credit cards, drivers license, metro card. At first I passed it by, as mere street litter and not my problem, but a few seconds later I stopped and circled back thinking the person who lost it could maybe use some help and that it looked like one of the pieces was the backside of a drivers license.  That is, it seemed possible this was only recently lost and I may be able to contact the person.  Fortunately, the fellow who lost these had a business card in there with his cell number.  As I was calling him, he walked up to me, asking — hoping — I’d found his wallet.  No wallet, and he was non-plussed that there was no cash left, but he was ecstatic that all his credit cards, drivers license and everything were there.  He was overjoyed and hugged me.

Evidence of a friendly universe: a stranger who will return the contents of your wallet.

Q

Some days feel crazy and exhausting but are basically pretty darn good.  Like today.  Today, it’s been hectic at work, but everything has gone fairly smoothly in terms of working things out — agreements with suppliers, working with customers, not making any major mistakes.  Honestly?  Truly?  My life is great.

Truly?  I’m living the dream.  I actually feel badly saying that, to admit that I have so much.  Compared to many, yes, I have very little.  But also, compared to many, I have so much.  Many people are worse off than me.  And, for me, things could be so much worse.  At least that’s how I feel today — very positive.  Other days, I’m deeply in the dumps and feel like everything is crap.  But maybe, truly, I’ve done okay in life.

This could all be because at this very moment, work is busy and I feel I’m going to make it through the next few months.  In November, December, I may be again wondering how I’m going to make it.  I guess that the “gig economy” is like that.

Evidence of a friendly universe: just look at yourself. You’ve done alright.

Q

I don’t wish to promote Air BnB, however, I find it remarkable that people are willing to rent out rooms in their private homes to strangers. Yes, they make some money doing it. However, it still strikes me as an act of generosity. And, for me, it means saving a substantial amount of money on the cost of a hotel room. Also, it gives me more options about the neighborhood in which I will stay. Hotels, unless they are resorts, are rarely located in pleasant locations. Whereas private homes often are in nice areas.

Evidence of a friendly universe: people willing to rent rooms in their homes to strangers.

Q