The Most Interesting Person I Have Met This Year

Her eyes sparkle with nervous energy.  Her laughter and enthusiasm make her appear to be on the verge of almost happily jumping out of her own skin at any moment while speaking.  She looks me directly in the eye and I sense that she is genuinely grateful for the stolen chance to tell me of her difficult journey.  She shares her heart-wrenching, tragic story, with an abundance of comedy to soften the razor-sharp edges. While she speaks at long length, she has the remarkable ability to mesmerize me.  Awestruck, no one shifts in their seat. I am glued to my chair, even though my bladder says otherwise.  No potty breaks for me- I must hear her every word. She tells my story- the story of a part of my life that has not yet happened.  With alternating terror and hilarity, she moves me back-and-forth between raucous belly-laughs and silent, held-back tears.  She narrates with the charisma of a Southern preacher, alternating her voice between barely audible words to fiery exclamations. As she abruptly ends her awesome talk to take a seat, I am acutely aware that I have been touched deeply by her beautiful spirit.  She is my sister in Spirit, telling me how bad it can get.  She validates the ominous warning: all I have is “a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of my spiritual condition.”  My heart is full.