Although I can’t verify that this wonderful tweet came from the REAL Bill Murray’s twitter feed, I don’t care. It made me of think first of “person(s) in my life that, if I hadn’t met, my life would be completely different” and then way more. I’ve been mulling the idea for days, surprised where it took me…
…first, to people who profoundly impacted my life in positive ways…
and then to some who did so in negative ones (which, curiously, yielded illumination later)…
…to people I am no longer in contact with for one reason or another but still love, grateful for their influence…
…Then I remembered objects and events which, if they hadn’t happened, my life would be completely different…
Alexander Calder’s work came to mind, which I first saw when I was twelve, babysitting in the home of people who had his work casually displayed…how very artful ordinary materials could become: tin cans into ashtrays, abstract form hooked into rugs, wire and sheet metal formed into graceful mobiles that echoed planets…
While waiting around for one thing or another, instead of checking your phone, I recommend taking a moment delve into your memory banks to ask:
What are the persons or things or events in your life if you hadn’t encountered, your life would be completely different?
Luminous images by Amy Friend
To be honest, I think of this almost every time I look at my husband. Things were not going so well for me and then serendipity brought us together. It’s been 38 years. I feel incredibly lucky.