Wordful Wednesday: Some people come into our lives...

"... and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same." 

{source unknown)

"D" and me, circa 2006

This picture brings back so many memories. This picture represents a Moment of Win for me. This picture was the start of a different me.

This picture was taken in Newport, RI, during my best friend's bachelorette party. That man with me is "D." He was a vocalist and saxophone player in the band performing that night -- a band that my friends and I discovered that night and fell in love with. 

During the first set break, I went up to D, and I told him what I thought of his music. I told him I loved his band, that they were talented, and that I should know because I've seen a lot of bands. I was never a girl to go up to random guys and just start a conversation, but I did that night (and I wasn't drunk). I introduced myself, and he asked what I did. I told him I was a writer -- not what my actual job was. I think this was the first time I described myself that way. He told me that he and the guys in this cover band also had an original band, and he wrote a lot of the music. We bonded over writing. He thought it was really cool that I wrote. And he bought me a drink, which is when I found out that he didn't drink, which struck me as odd. A rock musician who doesn't drink... hmmm...

My friends and I spent the rest of that night having such a good time with this band, and before we left, D gave me his business card and told me to call him.

It took me six months to call him. Because I wasn't sure what that meant when he told me that.

When I finally did call him, he wondered what took me so long, and we hung out. I started hanging out with him a lot, in an undefined relationship. I also hung out with his band (both cover and original) a lot. This man inspired me. He wasn't just a part-time writer/musician with a day job; he THREW himself into his passion, regardless of the fact that meant he struggled to pay rent some months. I longed for his courage, and I allowed him to encourage me to write.

He was also a great listener and friend. He knew when something was bothering me, and he'd listen while I vented. He was always encouraging, and he introduced me to such a different world than I had ever known. He even tried to teach me how to play guitar! I loved when he would play just for me. That was always such a girly dream of mine.

Things ended pretty abruptly with us, but he was never less that kind to me. And, I look fondly back on the person I was back that, the person he brought out of me. I was confident, I was bold, I was creative, I was fun, I was real (in a way), I lived a dream, I learned. And I came out the other side better for it.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile, like D, and leave footprints on our hearts. And I was never, ever the same.

This post was inspired by: