Ready this time

The three women talked about various stages of life. About how they had, or had not been prepared for whatever turn life had taken. They talked of nights of love, nights of fear, nights of pain, and nights of happiness. Some of these nights had been shared, and others were recounted with great detail, sending shrieks of laughter or soothing remarks into the space between them. The women talked for a long time; the air eventually becoming still around them, the city noises seeming further and further away from their private conversation. After a long silence she began to speak. She seemed nervous yet relieved. The wind blew across her face, her hair distorting her features as she revealed her musings.

“People have come and gone in my life. With them I’ve been sometimes reckless, sometimes prudent. I’ve sometimes been able to dream as I wished, and sometimes have had to guard my dreams close. They have all left a different impact on my life….but I have rarely been ready for the way they would challenge my perspective…”

For the next few hours the girls laughed and cried together as contemplations of life and love danced around their heads. Questioning the impacts of the passing of people through their lives and confronting the force that circumstance plays, left them pensive and quietly restless. Bursts of silent agitation crept into their voices as they debated their ability to govern their own lives and gain the most from their experiences.

“How much of our story is dictated by others?” that first woman finally asked. “How much can we gain from someone’s presence in our life if we are unknowingly unable to understand the impact they can have?” After a few moments of silence, another replied, “You take what you can from the pieces of humanity that you encounter and together we’ll all move through life.” The first woman considered this for a second and then smiled. “I’m ready this time,” she said.