Halley’s Comet in the mail

One of the interesting things about this time of year is often the strangest people get in touch, frequently after decades of silence. You receive a Christmas card or an email saying Hello! — it’s been years but here I am again. How are you? Merry Christmas.The mind has to shift into neutral for a few seconds to process this name, then dredge up their face, and finally the memories of this person who left your solar system long ago. But now, like Halley’s Comet, their orbit has for some reason brought them back for a glimpse before they’re off again deep into the cosmos. I like it when this happens. It reminds me that I’ve had more than one life, one set of friends, one set of intimates, etcetera. It reminds me that life really is made up of chapters and that the one we inhabit right now is only one and not the whole story.