I met Carlos at the bowling alley. His dry sense of humor made hanging out with him so much fun. He was generally very stoic and a man of few words.
I can’t say we dated, but there was a playful attraction between us. One quiet evening we were just hanging out sharing our thoughts. Having told him how much I loved his personality and his humor, he thanked me and told me how much he loved to make me laugh because, as he put it,
“that’s me”.
I understood in a profound and in a life-long-lasting way, that in the act of making me laugh, he gave me a part of himself. His spirit manifested joy and laughter in another human being and it was a gift that “gifted” right back at him.
In that same moment, I asked him to think of me every time he drove down the mountain from Running Springs. As the hillsides of yellow mustard plants caught his attention, to know that I was there, and that was me, for him.
Many years later, I received a call from Carlos. When I told him I was married with two children under five he apologized for the call. Out of respect for my marriage he wished to end the call. Just before we hung up I reminded him of the mustard plants. After all those years he said he still thought of me in the fields of yellow plants. As we hung up, I knew I would never hear from him again and that was ok.
Many more years later I heard Carlos died of stomach cancer. I was shocked and saddened to know he suffered. But that isn’t what I think about. I think about the miracle of that young man and how our spirits aligned for a very brief moment in time in a way that continues to validate the power of spiritual connection and I’m grateful.
