Category: Short Stories (Page 11 of 46)

Round Peg, Round Hole (A Conversation at the Altar Stone)

November 4, 2018 / Tom

Sometimes we walk forever just to find that one spot we can all home.

So, I’ve walked. I’ve walked a hundred million miles, sometimes wearing shoes that will never fit and sometimes wearing no shoes at all. Life, for me, is a varying degree of shelter and openness, of solitude and a deep desire for my soul’s companion.

“What do I need to do?” I ask the Ether. “Teach me.”

I am gifted with a vision. In it, I am there, in front of a board with a single round hole. In my hand is a single, green peg. It is obvious that the peg was made for the hole, of that I had no question in my mind.

“Now, put the peg in the hole,” they said. I did as instructed.

I could feel resistance. The resistance became unnatural, surprising, and I began to feel upset at the two not going together as expected. I began to push harder, to which there was an equal increase in the resistance.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “This is supposed to be easy.”

“So you’d think. However, what is all of this ‘supposed’? Who said it was supposed to be easy?”

“They seem to be perfect for one another. It should just fit. It should take no work at all.”

“Again, so you’d think. However, what is making it harder is your expectation. You expect it to be easy, and at the first feeling of unexpected resistance you begin to push harder. In reality, you are creating your own resistance, and that is increasing the work needed to make what should fit, fit.

Try it again, this time let go of what you believe should happen and just do your part. Have little concern for what the other should be doing.”

I reinserted the peg, this time having no idea what would happen nor any attachment to the outcome. The peg slid in easy, exposing the perfection of the union.

“See. What is meant to be takes little work. There is always effort involved, but little work.”

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

“Effort is natural. When flowers bloom, that is an effort. The Sun rising is an effort. Leaves changing colors is an effort. However, it isn’t work. Effort is natural and in the flow of truth, work is something that takes us away from our truth and into the real of expectations. Effort is your putting the peg in the hole, work is forcing it in. Things fit, naturally with no work. That’s when you know you’re in flow.”

I thought about that for a moment. I understood the point, but questions arose as to its practicality

“But how do I just let go of everything like that? I have wants, needs, desires…”

“Yes, you do. Imagine how boring your experience of being human would be if you didn’t! Effort is in accepting those human things when work would involve repressing them. The real question must be, how do those things serve you?”

“I am not sure.”

“They allow you to be human. You are, after all, a human. The spirit you now and love, the very thing you feel flowing through you right now, is what is having the experience through you. We want you to have this experience. We need you to.

Consider this. You are so loved, just as you are. If your humanity is causing no harm, and is an expression of the love within you, you must let it guide you. It may create pain in your existence, but it will serve you. Trust us, trust it, and trust that part of you that knows it.”

My mind took me back to moments when I refused myself, when I denied those things that I knew to be true. I was reminded of the suffering that resulted.

“I get it. I must trust myself in order to create the life experience I want to have.”

“Exactly. Your Love isn’t in love with you because of some idea of you. Love sees you as you are, and needs you to be exactly that. Your lives are joined, always have been. The lessons have been learned, and now you are a part of each other’s path, of each other’s lesson, of each other’s experience. You’ve been tested, and you know your truth. She sees your truth, and loves you for it. You owe her that truth because she will grow in your truth, and you will grow in hers. You are no longer meant to go it alone, even in those moments when you enjoy your solitude. For both of you, there will always be a returning home, regardless of the moments you spend outside of it. We’ve kept you apart until that moment when you needed each other, to be in each other’s presence. That time has come.”

“Ok. Thank you.”

“No need. We are not done yet. There is more to come. This a time of enormous growth for you both. We will not forsake you, we will be here for you. Such is the power of your union.

Just remember. Round hole, round peg. There is no need for resistance. You will, however, experience it. Both of you will. When you do, turn to each other. That’s the beauty of your meeting. There is no need, other than choice, to go it alone. Try it.”

“I will. You’ve given me much to think about.”

“Don’t. Your thinking about it is meaningless. Feel it. Try it. Confide in her. She’s ready. Trust this process, and the instincts we’ve blessed you with.”

“Ok. It’s been a great walk.”

“Yes, it has.”

The Mask (A Nightmare)

November 2, 2018 / Tom

From the end, there was such a beginning.

I was sitting on the bottom of a clear pool just enjoying the serenity and weightlessness. The way the waves painted sunlight where I sat added to the moment, and the slight pressure of my surroundings did little to change the moment. Peace. Love. Energy.

In my right hand there was an air mask. The mask was similar to the mask I wore as a firefighter. That mask had kept me alive more than once, helped me help others, and protected me in moments of great peril. Most of us in the fire service take great care of the masks we use because, usually, not doing so could mean our demise.

I could feel the air tightening in my chest as time wore on. I felt no fear in this, as I knew I had the mask to rely on should I push it too far. I could hear my heart beating louder, acting like the second-hand on a clock and keeping time with growing discomfort in my chest. More beats, the tightness growing with each one.

Finally, I began to struggle. Even as tightness grew, I wanted to go onward as I always had, expecting the discomfort and struggle to serve as a lesson. More discomfort, and my heartbeats grew louder until I simply could take no more.

Just as I was ready to ascend, I began to put the mask on my face. My ascent would have to be fast, and I trusted my legs to propel me fast enough, with the mask on, to the surface. I could almost feel the sunlight on my face, and her sweet embrace as I laughed and tried to catch my breath. Life on the bottom was life all around. What awaited me on the surface was nothing short of heaven.

I grabbed the straps of the mask like I had a million times before, and moved it to my face. To my horror I realized that the mask was not attached to anything! I had the mask, but I had no air, no lifeline to the heaven that awaited me!

I let out a muffled shout, inaudible to all including me. I bent my legs, my feet firmly on the bottom, trusting they were strong enough to get me to air. As I pushed, the earth beneath me gave way, and all my strength seemed to do was move what once appears steady. I had no speed to reach the surface, and I knew I was in trouble.

Time seemed to stand still as I fought with all my might to get to her, to the surface. I kicked my legs hard, my arms pulling at water with all of their might. My throat felt as if it would explode, my chest aching beyond all description. The surface seemed within reach, but never seemed to get any closer. I began to panic, something I never seem to do.

I finally broke through the surface, and she was there. Her beautiful smile suddenly changed when she realized I was in trouble. I floated on the surface, trying to breathe, but my body would not respond. I tried to tell her I loved her, but my words failed me and I knew she couldn’t hear them anyway in her shouting. I could see the Sun looking down on me but could not feel its warmth.

Shadows began to form all around me. I could not recognize the faces, but somehow believed I knew them. They grabbed me, and started dragging me to shore, telling my beloved a lie I have uttered more times than I care to remember.

“Don’t worry. He’s going to be fine.”

I wanted to reach for her, but she was too far away. I wanted to tell them all to get away from me so that I could hold her hand. Nothing came from me until, finally, the darkness came. I stared at her as the night fell until, there was nothing left to see.

In my dream, sleep came. In my reality, I was awakened with a jolt. I sat up on my bed trying to calm my heart and to catch my breath. Sweet, beautiful breath, how I do not take you for granted!

It was 3:13 am on my watch. I just sat there breathing, looking for heaven. She was there, somewhere, and I found her in my heart.

Unkind Night

November 1, 2018 / Tom

The night can be so unkind.

I can hear you, but I can’t touch you. I can see your face, but only when my eyes close to take me away from here. I can hold you, but only when my heart imagines that I am far away…

…next to you. Holding you tightly. Telling you I love you without even saying a word. You knowing it without ever having to open your eyes. Sacred in those spaces, my dreams remind me of your absence, while my heart slowly bleeds with every thought of you.

Pieces of me fall away, and I am left flayed open on the floor. Demons of the night remind me that perhaps such dreams are left for other men. Men who would squander their chance, and throw away this dream for whims and whispers. Time has taught me the value of the promise that is this love, and if I remain so fortunate to have you love me that promise shall never be broken.

Give me hope, my love. Give me that sharpened sword to slay these demons that besiege me in the night. Caress me in the way you do, arise in me the fire that lights the way home. Show me the star that guides me back to you and I shall follow it for eternity. Fan the winds of love that fill my lonely sails and I shall follow those winds to eternity.

Shout my name from high above and feel me hold your heart forever. Write our names upon the bluest skies so that even God can see. Know that though my limbs seem weak at this moment, the strength within me remains intact. Know that when your demons come you can count on me to hold your space or slay them where they stand. Know that when the air becomes too thin my arms were made to carry you. Know that when the moments darkest to the eyes arrive, you will feel my hand in yours and you will never doubt that place again.

These struggles are both a curse and an opportunity. I rise to this challenge, and beg those demons face me. I seek no shelter from this storm save your loving heart, and I seek no surrender from the test save that moment when you arrive. Then, the sword and shield shall fall to the ground and I will hold you. As it was meant to be.

In you I have found safe harbor, and with you I have found the way home. Worry not, your man was built to endure without a shred of falter in his quest. So while this night may be unkind know that all I need do is breathe in your name, close my eyes to see your face, and snarl in the face of such oppressors. Slay them I shall, and then I shall carve your name on their chests just to see their hearts melt as mine has. That is the power of love both destined and gifted to our two mortal hearts by the gods themselves.

No truth exists greater than I love you. Now, off to the battle surely to be waged.

Love Dialog (Working Title)

October 31, 2018 / Tom

In the moment of torment, I write. But I also write in the moment of bliss.

Which moment is this? Sometimes they are the same.

Love has come to me. It has come to me in the most beautiful way I know. Deeply spiritual, it reminds me of something strange in it familiarity. I’ve known this Love before, just not in this lifetime.

Dear God, help me remember. Help me understand. Help me get out of my own way.

Oh, Tom. You beautiful soul. You are a Being simply being human. What you focus on is your business. You are the master of your experience, now get to experiencing. Do not abdicate control of your ship to the currents without a fight. You have not been created to surrender to your mind unless you choose to. It’s all perfect, we have prepared you for this each and every day of your life. Now, it is up to you to decide which port you sail to; the one where fear resides or the one where you found Love.

How do I decide? I feel so confused.

You are there already, you just don’t know it yet. You made this choice long ago, even before your birth. You are conflicted because of what has happened since you made the choice. Those distractions are what are torturing you now. You think about changing your mind, but your mind is the problem. You cannot change your heart, you can only break it through the mental stones you through at it. Is that what you’ve spent your life struggling for? To break your own heart with stones on which past images are painted?

No. I am afraid.

Afraid of what, my love? Afraid of what may happen? Silly, isn’t it. Look at what is happening. The sea is calm where you are. The Sun is shining. The gulls are singing across your bow and the ship is seaworthy. You have nourishment. You are loved. What are you afraid of?

I don’t know…

Oh, you know alright. You begin being afraid by being afraid to admit it.

It’s hard…

I don’t get it. It’s hard to let it out and easier to keep it in? See stones in your mind, those painted with the past, serve two purposed. First, you throw them at your heart and often break it in the process. Second, you build walls with them. You think you are safe behind them when, in reality, you are in more danger there than anywhere outside of them.

How so?

What infests within those walls can kill you. They can eat you alive. They can infect you. Sure, there is danger outside of those walls, but it pales in comparison to the danger that lurks inside of it. The whole reason those walls were built is an infestation. You were built to run wild in the forest, and sail wildly on the sea. You were not created to hide behind walls of any kind, so living contrary to your purpose will be the end of you.

I understand.

So, what are you afraid of?

Come on, you can do it…

I paused for a long breath. Sometimes crossing a threshold of a door you’ve kept closed for a lifetime is harder than just staying in the room you’ve rotted away in. Yet, I’ve never been able to do things the easy way.

Tommy, are you still with us?

Yes.

Trust us. We know what we are doing.

Fine. I am afraid of the pain. I am afraid of the sadness. I am afraid of not being good enough, of failing the one I love, of being discarded, of not being strong enough. I’m afraid I may not survive. I’m afraid I may crumble. I’m afraid of dying unloved. I’m afraid of fucking losing my heart. I’m afraid, ok? Nothing scares me but this.

But you have felt this way before, right? When you were a firefighter?

Yes, I trained hard because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to save someone. I was afraid of failing them and the ones that love them. There was a difference though. I didn’t put them in their situation. I didn’t cause the problem.

But you were there to save them, no?

Yes.

And when you couldn’t?

It broke me up inside. I would apologize to nothing each and every time. I would hide my sorrow, but I it would affect me to my core. I would try to figure out what I could have done differently to save them.

And?

There was nothing. Nothing I could do. I was helpless. Fuck…helpless.

Like when you were a boy?

Fuck you.

Stay with us here. You’ve got this.

Yes, like when I was a boy.

Do you feel helpless in love?

Sometimes. Sometimes I feel empowered.

What makes the difference?

Another long pause. Courage sometimes needs to be mustered, especially when you’ve known the answer for so long and never wanted to admit it.

Being considered. Or not.

Again, like when you were a boy and a young man?

Yes, exactly like that.

We remember. So, when you are not considered you feel unloved?

I guess so.

Tommy…

Fine, yes.

But you do know that you are always considered?

In my heart I do. In my mind, not so much. I get it though, my mind is breaking my heart, destroying what it knows. Yes, I know I am considered.

If you ever need proof, our Son, remember that you are alive. Every living thing is considered. Every living thing is special. Your creation is a testament of how highly you are considered.

I get it.

People may not consider you. Mostly, it’s because they don’t feel considered themselves. You know that adage saying that in order to love others you need to love yourself? That is true with everything that has to do with your experience. If you believe it, you will project it. Do not worry, your Love considers you. Your Love values you as much as Love values herself.

Ok.

Tommy, do you trust yourself?

Huh?

Do you trust yourself?

Usually. Yes.

We’d suggest that in those moments when you are not trusting your Love and the process, you are not trusting yourself. You are losing faith in you and, in turn, losing faith in Love. Go back to Love. Have faith in yourself in love. Trust yourself in all you’ve done and will do. Don’t let the mind throw stones or build walls, and guess what will happen.

What?

Love in eternity. She’s waiting for you there.

Life is Love

October 29, 2018 / Tom

The beauty of a simple life.

Life is sitting on a bench with you, writing stories that never end. Life is walking on paths with you that seem to go on forever, laughing about the simple things and imagining ourselves as the older couple we see walking up ahead. Life is togetherness. Life is love. Life is living a simple truth no matter how complicated it seems to be.

Life is kissing your neck when the Sun rises us from sleep. Life is holding you in moments of despair, of joy, of triumph and of tragedy. Life is holding space for you when the second-hand seems too loud. Life is cooking for you when you are tired, caring for you when you are ill, and standing next to you when it seems the world has turned against us. Life is being your anchor when the world around us shakes us to our core.

Life is running down to meet you with an umbrella in the rain and clearing your car after a snowfall. Life is getting under that cozy blanket with you when the cold winds howl. Life is feeling that harmless snowball hit me in the back, and then seeing the footprints we leave behind as I chase you for the win. Life is drawing hearts in the snow and sand with your name on it, and that kiss you give me when you read the message I leave that only you could understand.

Life is hearing you read a passage from a book you love, and watching you paint a picture from the other room. Life is answering your call, and feeling you stir when you fall asleep beside me. Life is seeing your excitement when you’ve shared that something new, and in marveling at your perfection when you crumple exhausted on a chair.

Life is waiting for you as you wonder through the fields you much travel. I want to slow down when the seas become too rough. I want to sit in silence with the words have been too many. I want to be there when you finally figure it all out, and rejoice with you when the answers seem to make perfect sense. Life is when you wrap your arms around me as you realize over and over again, that we were created to share in this simple life. Together.

Life resounds in honoring you, in hearing what you need and always doing my best not to fail you. Life is sitting in awe of you, in the way you do your thing, even when I can’t understand the process. Life is trying my best to understand, even when my mind can’t grasp it all.

In life we find love and in love we find life. I found life in loving you, and found loving you in life. Two connected things are certain gifts of the Universe, and in honoring both I find gratitude and a resolve to be the best I can be in any given moment.

Peace.

A Lover’s Prayer

October 27, 2018 / Tom

Love.

Though the words have not come easily for me lately, my heart demands these be written.

I love you.

In the end, what else matters? In the end, though the space besides me is empty, the space within me feels you everywhere. In the end, though the room around me lays silent, the room within me is filled with sounds of you. In the end, though the words have not flowed easily, my heart bleeds words of you with every beat.

That is the beauty of things for us. Now I want to sleep for I’ve always held you there. Now I close my eyes, for I’ve always seen you in the darkness. Now I offer myself to Hypnos, for she’s always let me kiss you throughout the night.

If, by some chance, I am fortunate enough to wake I can only pray I’m better tomorrow than I was today. I can only wish upon my waking breath that you feel me, and that you know that a man loves you beyond all stories of his mind and above each rung of his misgivings. The miles seem uncountable, but the truth is you’ve always been the closest thing I’ve known.

If waking is not part of the plan, I will have departed this world knowing love in its fullest way. I will have tasted something wonderful on your lips, and I will have felt an amazing grace in the eyes of this soul’s mate. You are Paradise found in the midst of hell, and as I have already walked on the plains of heaven beside you, I am not certain of what would be left for me beyond.

I have been to this mountaintop, and I have seen the promised land. I may never get there, but the sight of it demands my loyalty. The love within me demands my respect, and you…well you will always have my commitment as long as you want it. There can be no other.

Good night and know this writer pens his words from a place few can ever know, from a place you have touched and a place where you have carved your name forever. I wish I had more to offer.

Love.

When Poets Love

October 24, 2018 / Tom

Do not forget the power of love in the spaces that you share. Embrace that heart with all your might, and kiss those lips with the pure tenderness your soul projects. Stand firm in your resolve, but do so with a love and patience that speaks to your truth, that you love this person and, in love, all things are possible.

Know that in the moments when the winds whip you into uncertainty that your lover has your back. Know that when you search for a ray of light in the middle of the night, you will hear his voice. Know that when you awaken with the Sun that he will feel you and take your hand just to let you know he is dreaming about you.

Poets love in a special way. With passion, and a uniqueness that would drive others away. They feel every part of their lover in each word they offer, even when those words don’t come close to telling the entire story. They know life deeply, can can smell the colors in the forest and hear the fragrance of each flower bloomed. When they are lucky enough to find each other in the mist of life, a single caress writes volumes on their skin. They know each other well, and they love like no other can.

Such is the curse of a poet. They understand much even as they are misunderstood even more. They see things that are mostly unseen, and feel things most have grown numb to. When they fall in love with each other, there is nothing quite like it and few things more powerful in the Universe. Through the toils of their own humanity they write poems with their tears, and often surrender their hearts to the fires that burn within them.

I leave her with a word, one of many I will write and many I will share along the way. I take another poet’s truth because, well, I share it in this instance. See, we poets share more than just our time in this existence. We also share a soul.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. ~Pablo Neruda.

A Story of their Own

October 18, 2018 / Tom

Let it not be for man to squander the opportunity to love. Love is like a flower whose petals may wilt and whose stems may fall to the ground, yet whose fragrance lives on forever.

With such humility and virtue, he stands before a goddess. Though wounded by time and humanity, he is blessed to be wandering with a kindred who knows well his journey. They walk both together and alone on their way to wholeness, learning that those struggles they’ve endured have now made them strong to the task of seeing their light shine, in the way it must, born to light up the sky.

There is no fear in their space, despite the whirlwind that surrounds them. Embraced upon the sacred ground on which they stand, the voice of love sings Her lullaby, and the Universe conspires on their behalf with the passion of great creation. Out of the ashes have arisen two souls who have watched the world around them burn, yet are now alive to write a story all their own.

Like a flower, he has knelt in humble gratitude to inhale her essence. He has dropped his shield and sheathed his sword in favor of having untethered arms to embrace her. He’s wiped the dust from his lips to kiss her, and shaken the dried mud from his flesh as to not stain her soul. With the truth of a Stoic soul within him he does nothing but love this woman, and with the strength of a warrior he protects the sanctity of her fragrance with the life within him. Never has he basked in such a light as her, and never has a scent been so strong as to move him toward that place where the Sun will rise.

Like a mountain stream, she has bathed in him and tasted the life which flows freely within him. She floats about his space as he holds her firm, and she freely finds her shore when the earth calls out her name. When she thirsts he is her drink, and in her way she realizes that even a tortoise can run when the thirst becomes too great. Never before has she felt such a thirst, and never before has such a pureness filled her soul with love.

Despite what was, they live in what is, which will always lead to what will be. With great care for each other, and for themselves, they begin their story. The introduction over, each page turned will lead them to a masterful epilogue, for they realize that despite all of the stories they’ve once written that this is a story of their own.

“I once had a thousand desires. But in my one desire to know you all else melted away.” ― Rumi

To the One

October 12, 2018 / Tom

We find the moment where we look, and in you I see a lifetime.

Parts of mountain springs meet parts of ocean waves in the space where I’ve found you. In the cool air the Sun shines brightest where you are, and in the place we meet the stars attest their promise of moments yet to come. Our human minds may waiver the moment we offer prayers to our future, but the truth remains the same. Love falters not in the promise, but in the absence of the present that it guides us to.

Moments stand prepared to sacrifice themselves to the human endeavor, yet in the flesh we find the essence of the Divinity that gave us life. In the touch of your hand I’ve found the recklessness of my youth and the spirit of my wise, old self. I can get lost in the eyes of a woman who was always my destination, who was always the promise that kept me alive. Through the darkness of certain times I’d wish for you, and in the light of my beating heart I have found you.

Forget nothing of the past that brought you to me, but relive none of it in the moments that we share. Remember the truth of your struggle was not the struggle itself. Remember the victory was never in the falls that we’ve sustained. Remember that the day was never meant to know itself through the night, but rather offer a promise of rebirth to those who survive the darkness. Remember, and know that when you hear my heart beating in my chest that is was never the silence that kept it beating. It was always the promise that one day you would hear it.

I need no vindication for my truth. I need no agreement in what I know. In the sand I see your footprints, and offer gratitude for the sight. In the breeze I hear your voice, and I offer thanks for bumps that have been raised upon my skin. In the Sun I see your smile, and it is that moment that I hear the echoes form to form one song. That song is you. That song is me. Together, we make quite a wonderful harmony.

We can always see demons in what may be. There is no certainty in “someday”, a moment in time that we may never live to see. Here is a truth, one uttered in the pages of the story we shall write together. That promise is that when the fear arises and the demon voices come, you will not be alone. When your shield has splinted and your sword and been dulled to the hilt, you will find sanctuary by my side. When your legs are unsteady and you arms can lift no more, know that I will carry you.

What I have learned in life has led me to this moment. That is how I rise so sure of what I feel. What I have experienced in my journey has made me so sure of the ground on which I stand. From the mist of slumber I have awoken to the dream. What a wonderful morning Sun.

To the One, may forever be known in the moment when we kiss.

A Lover’s Dilemma

October 3, 2018 / Tom

The moment.

The moment I’m sitting next to you. The moment when your arms are around me and your head rests softly on my chest. The moment I feel your breath on my skin. The moment I taste your lips. The moment I feel your words even before I hear them.

I live for those moments. I long for each in what seems like eternal gaps between them. It is a lover’s dilemma, this man’s silent suffering.

Before you, I knew the purpose to my aloneness. Now, I see no sense to it save the process I’ve come to trust. I look at the empty spaces beside me knowing they are yours. Where once I enjoyed their emptiness now I fill them with our knowing. Where once I sat gazing at nothing all I see is what we are – a promise need never spoken, an eternal gaze at tomorrow.

Before that moment of our first embrace, I understood the value of my solitude. Now I hear the silence as our song, a hymn written through the tears of yesterday breathing life into the possibility we now share. I adored the single set of footprints on the paths I once walked. Now I know they were heading in your direction, longing for the moment when we could share the view.

One day as we sit alongside a stream throwing rocks toward their destiny, our minds will drift back to times before. Before, when our spaces were empty. Before, when our minds would wonder to dreams of moments where we’d be sitting alongside a stream, throwing rocks towards their destiny. Before, when all we could do was hope.

I’ll want to kiss you. Kiss you in honor of all of those moments I begged the empty air for you. Kiss you in memory of all the times the ether would tease me with dreams of you. Kiss you in gratitude for your arrival, and for the moment your lips finally met mine.

Two souls who live in a lover’s dilemma. Suffer as we might in our absence we rejoice with equal vigor in our kiss. Suffer as we will in thoughts of times that passed we shall find bliss in a realization of our moments together. Suffer as we do in times we walk alone we will dance in joy together, as it was always intended to be.

My words, these words, I am blessed to offer as I take the truth of things that swirl around my soul and translate them into the truth of things I share. Blessed am I, a purveyor of divine inspiration, to have found such a muse in you. Blessed am I, a simple man who shoulders the complexities of his mind, to have kissed the lips of my dreams, and held the flesh of my life in arms made strong for the task.

The moment. The moment that is near, the moment that is coming. The moment great stories are birthed from. The moment I saw you.