He Came; He Left
Not too long ago, I met a really awesome person who literally had me at, "Hello." I remember our first meeting like it was just yesterday. It was around 11:30 at night. I was standing in the back by myself with a dozen of unfamiliar faces around me, waiting for a person who I knew would not show up. Before I could grasp the fact that I was completely alone with zero phone service, a stranger walked by and of all places, he chose to stand right next to me. Shoulder to shoulder. Typically, when this happens, I would have had no problem introducing myself. I was exhausted out of my mind so instead, I stood as still as a tree. Two minutes later, the person turned towards my direction and introduced himself to me. "Hello, I'm _."
As soon as I saw his face, I couldn't help but notice how great his smile was. Man, these type of unplanned encounters always make me feel like I'm one of those main protagonists in a rom-com movie; characters I've seen one too many times. Despite recognizing their predictable plot lines and potential endings, I've always rooted for them. I wanted them to find the person that they have unconsciously been looking for. I wanted to follow their triumphs and and setbacks only to find out that they'll eventually have their very own happily ever after. It's quite ironic that I'm saying all of this since I am never that optimistic or hopeful when it comes to my own life but that's only because I've met enough people to know that many of them will come and go, but only a select few would stay. As a young teenager, I would spend hours and hours thinking about all the best friends I've lost; however, I'm not that fifteen year old Khanh anymore. I'm much more selective with the company keep and I now have great confidence to say the people I do have right now will be staying for quite some time.
In case you haven't guessed it, the person I met not too long ago no longer play a role in my life. He was a stranger when I met him. He was a stranger when he left. If I told you I wasn't disappointed then I would be completely lying. I was, but his departure wasn't something worth losing my sleep for. I was, without question, very fond of this person. He was youthful, charismatic, and forward. I also found out that his cheerful exterior aligned with where he presently stood in life while is silliness and projected optimism were the key qualities that caught and kept my interest. At the same time, he still has so much to gain from the real world---profound humility, inner virtue, and life lessons that only experience and time can teach him. As much as I wanted to guide this person towards the right direction, I knew very well that I could never hand these kind of things to people on a silver platter. Character and maturity could only be gained if the person endure the tribulations himself. Although I thoroughly enjoy getting to know someone new (non-romantically or romantically), I usually have a keen sense of when conversations are about to end so when this one actually happened, I was not all that surprise.
Of course, it's never easy to say good-bye to people, even if you've only known them for a brief moment but I'm not one to sit around and lament about these situations in my head. I enjoy life for what it is, which is essentially an ongoing autonomous journey and without question, I'm always grateful for the times that became moments and experiences that are not just felt, but shared. That's what I had with this person. A shared moment.
Lastly, I wanted to sincerely apologize for being MIA for this long. Nothing exciting has happened in my life, thus far. I only wanted to reflect on this experience before I put the memory of this person locked up in some secret place that I would like to call the Past.
Update on my well-being: I'm no longer sick (Woot! That's definitely something to celebrate about) and it feels so good to start writing again. I miss it dearly. I guess the reason why I haven't touched this blog in so long is because I haven't been inspired at all. I promise I'll try harder to find that inspiration, but it's just one of those things that come to me as spontaneous as the people who walk into my life. Writing, however, is an unshakeable commitment so when I say I will try harder, you can bet that I will my best foot forward. Oh...I've also been experiencing so many mixed emotions, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep my sanity if it wasn't for my best friend Emily. I'm blessed beyond words and it's safe to say that life has definitely treated me better than I deserve. I'm a lucky one and I know it.
That's all I have for now. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week and check back with me soon!
XO