David

Sunday began with the large community dog walk, only it wasn’t large. We were ten dog and owner pairs, plus Dan. Dan had a great time and then I took him to the ferry terminal. I came home and the day passed. There’s one more thing….

I got an email from a student, who reached out through this blog, and whom I was able to find online. I wrote to him and heard back from him yesterday.

I was 22 or 23 when I met him, in my first career job. There weren’t many years between me and my students. I met many very fine students, and Dave, who wrote to me, is one of them. 

Eight years ago, I performed in a play I wrote about my life. In it was a vignette about two teachers who overwhelmed me with kindness at a rough time in my life. On a whim, I searched them out in the week before we opened, they were married, and found them. I invited them to the opening, and I called them onto the stage and the end of the curtain calls and presented them with a huge bouquet of roses.

I felt grateful to be able to recognize what they did for me. They had no recollection of our experience, but they loved all I remembered. They were happy they’d so impressed me, and very grateful for being honoured in my show.

One hears: What goes around, comes around. David’s email was my come around for what I did for the Fletchers. Dave said mighty lovely things to me. I met him fifty years ago. He still remembers. I felt the gift of his words deep within me.

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I watched Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story because I love musicals. I found it to be a soulless production thanks to Ansel Elgort as Tony—he can barely sing, he can’t dance and his performance is wooden. But the actors playing the parts of Bernardo and Anita are compelling; I was enthralled. I watched for the dancing and was not disappointed in that regard.

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My last cord of wood arrives early this morning. Back to schlepping and stacking today, and I’m keen and ready. But it’s cold this morning. But the weather this week is looking rather good. I may get to start work on the yard and gardens. I can hardly wait.

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My neighbours on the north side change their life plan every two weeks. They put their lot up for sale, then took it off the market and decided to stay here on the island for the summer. Yesterday I saw Barbara and now the plan is to put the lot back on the market and to take their trailer to Nanaimo and live in it there until their lot sells, and then they’ll move to Sooke. 

I like the family, so I’m sad to see them go. They have a really lovely and friendly doggie whom I will miss. But I will enjoy having more privacy even though it will only be temporary.