After a laterish dinner with TC and Maman, with a pitstop to kitten coo and swoon, I left after 9 to walk Murph.

I thought about just forgetting the walk for today, but I couldn’t. It was too tempting of a night. And I can reason out things much easier during summer. Tonight I said, self! It’s a gorgeous summer evening! You must go take advantage of this. It IS summer!

So off we went. Pounding the pavement to Rihanna. What is it about RiRi that just makes my ass move that much faster? Not sure, but it does.

It seemed just as we were getting into one of those good walking grooves, I was stopped. A woman I frequently run into, whose name I can’t remember. It’s either Dee or Cindy. Or maybe Kristin — definitely one of those three. But I can’t remember which one and now I feel we’re at the point where it’s going to seem like major a-holeness on my part to say, so yeah what is your name again?.

I was annoyed at first by our conversation. I kept nodding my head and saying, mmmm a lot and, right and lots of exactlys. I just wanted to get the convo over with and keep moving. Plus I was trying to capitalize on as much fading daylight as I could.

But I caught myself this time and said, self! I think there is something important to gain here. Higher Self, I could just feel, was very proud of me. I was very annoyed of me. Still not wanting to talk but move.

I let that restless resistance pass. I kept standing there, with more nods and mmms and rights and at some point, I found myself truly interested in what Cindy/Dee/Kristin was saying. I was fascinated by her story.

And that’s when it hit me — we all need People to tell our stories to. Some need it more than others, so that’s why some of us are there to listen.

I much prefer to be the story listener than the story teller. I’m not good at story telling. I think I’m too introverted in that open way. Not to say I don’t share — you can ask me anything and I will tell you. I’m just not usually the most open person … at first meeting.

I think if we all stopped a little more frequently to be story listeners, we’d be doing a great service. As humans, we need each other. Whether we want to admit that or not — everyone needs human connection. It is what brings us together. We are not meant to be separate entities.

Story teller to story listener is an intimate exchange. I feel it’s an unspoken act of trust. There’s some quite fulfilling about it. Together, not separate.

This Thing Is Not Random.