Look back. Don’t stare.

A wacky effect applied by the Kodak Charmera to an image of a coffee cup on a desk.
A wacky effect applied by the Kodak Charmera to an image of a coffee cup on a desk.

The best thoughts aren’t shower thoughts; they’re dog walking thoughts. Thoughts that come while in motion. The scenery doesn’t change quickly like in a car or even on a bicycle. It rather invites reflection. Probably why most people don’t do it. Or if they do, it’s with earbuds jammed in tightly and a podcast droning on to keep their own thoughts from getting too loud. Thoughts uninvited. But then there are a few like today’s.

Somewhere out there, someone who knew the version of me that was 20 is going about their life. They don’t know ME. They know the person who was 20. Given the number of times this person who was 20 has changed and reinvented himself, it’s nice that anyone remembers that kid who quietly ceased to be. He wasn’t bad. He wasn’t great, but he wasn’t bad. And maybe there is a really, really good memory attached to him. Maybe that’s how he persists.

That’s comforting. We all need that. Someone to carry the memory of who we were even if we never see them again.

A black and white chessboard. Black and white effect again courtesy of the Kodak Charmera.
A black and white chessboard. Black and white effect again courtesy of the Kodak Charmera.

Learning to play chess. We all learn how the pieces move, but that’s not playing chess any more than learning a G Major chord is learning a song. It’s a complicated game, but we live in complicated times. The pieces are familiar. The strategies are hundreds of years old. It can be picked up and put down on a whim. That’s also something we all need.