Day 30h: The 2nd Noelle … (05/14/2019)
I headed out once more and was walking through an interesting lakeside park along another smoothly paved walking path when I sensed (possibly overheard) two people coming up behind me. This was no surprise, of course — seeing as how I was still in a great bit of pain and was limping along rather slowly, so I simply moved to the side to let them pass. And just as they did so, one of them — a smiling woman named Madeleine — asked me where I was headed. It turns out she was out for a walk with her friend Natalie and had read the back of my smock and was intrigued as to what it meant.
What followed was quite the wonderful (and also quite the significant) encounter, with the three of us chatting deeply and amicably about my Walk and its Purpose — which led us to dive deeply into the concepts of radical Kindness and communal responsibility and self-sustainability — which led Madeleine to invite me back to her home to share a lovely “let’s see what vegan stuff I can find for you” brunch — which allowed the three of us to speak far more deeply about what it meant to be truly Kind (e.g. loving others when they deserve it the least and indeed continuing to care for them even while they are attempting to harm or manipulate or use us) and veganism; currently the most powerful way any of us can exude that Kindness.
After our delicious repast had run its course, Madeleine referenced my obvious injuries and said that she wanted to find me a place to sleep for the night — something she did indeed achieve; contacting some dear friends (Noelle and her husband David) who lived in a neighboring village; dear friends who agreed to take me in without hesitation (and this, despite the fact that Noelle was driving home from an event at the time, that her cell phone had actually caught fire while she was doing so, and that she STILL had the Caring wherewithal to allow a total stranger into her home despite her understandably frazzled state) … 😀
Madeleine departs and I settle in to a brilliant evening with my two newest-found Friends — a fantastic shower, a lovely meal of salad and steamed asparagus, some powerful conversation (mostly about the incredible Power that comes to anyone & everyone who decides to actively Care for others instead of tending to his or her own desires — even & especially when those desires qualify as being important “needs”), and then a deep night’s sleep on the comfy sofa-bed in Noelle’s studio … 😀 😀 😀
“And how have I lived? Crudely, yes, and yet frankly and openly and caringly as well. Indeed, I have not been at all afraid of my life. I have not shrunk from one instant of it; having taken it for what it was and refusing to be ashamed of the way I have lived it. I have, for the most part, made my life a service to others. And because of this, my life has become far more fully mine.” ~ inspired by Jack London
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