Appointment with my Heart
My heart called the other day. He asked if we could meet tomorrow after work. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked. I follow your adventures on the Instagrams — looks like you’re doing great.” he said. “Tell me about your travels. I want the inside scoop!” he continued. We agreed to meet around 6pm at a sleepy dive bar off Main St.
I arrived late, almost 6:45pm. My heart sat at the bar with half a pint. On his left, an empty stool. On his right, an empty stool with a full pint waiting for whoever will occupy the seat. “Sorry I’m late. Work, traffic, parking…” — blah blah blah. Excuses dribbled down my chin. He gave me a hug. “Please, you’re here now. Have a seat.” he said and gestured toward the empty stool on his right.
30 minutes passed. I rabbled on about driving across the USA, visits to México, taking a 100 year old man to Italy, how I want to get back to New York before the year ends, and all the new celebrities I’ve met. I flip through my phone and show him all the pictures he’s already seen online. The bartender delivers another round.
“What are you running from?” he asks after the bartender leaves.
Running?! I’m exploring! Pushing my comfort zone, getting cultured, living my best life, blah blah blah… Excuses rattle around my head. Some of them hashtags. “Running…?” is the only word that makes it out of my mouth.
He cuts me off before I can begin:
“You have nice things. You visit beautiful places. You have unique experiences. You come home and ask Google to turn on your lights. You replay another episode of The Office on Netflix for background noise. Check your Instagram again — maybe someone said ‘nice pic.’ Check your email again. Still spam. You start to dial your brother but then you remember its 2am on the East Coast. You make coffee, despite the late hour, and spend hours editing your memories. So, give me the inside scoop. What are you running from?”
