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Blogging By the Sea
Tuesday, June 17 2014
The People You Meet . . .

                                           

A friend of mine shot me an email the other day, “can we meet for lunch? I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

I confess my initial reaction was reluctance. I’d just gotten the first round of edits back from my editor and was busy going through them, adding stuff she wanted, fixing things that needed fixing. I also have a new contract for a book I haven’t even started writing that I’m busy doing research for and trying to plot. I have a lady who has asked for my help critiquing an entire manuscript before she submits it to an editor who expressed an interest in her story pitch. And another lady who is one of my critique partners who wants me to look at her “Stuff!”  In short, there is more work to keep me glued to my computer than usual and I was more inclined to stay home and plough my way through it. But Win is a very good friend and on top of her wanting to introduce me to someone, the last time I saw her was at a funeral and we haven’t talked, really talked, in months. So, I said yes.

At some point, lunch turned into supper, but that was okay. Better, in fact, than interrupting the middle of my day. So off I went last night to meet Win and her friend. I really need an attitude adjustment. Meeting new people is always an adventure and there is always something to be taken away, savored, remembered, learned or treasured. Marguerite was something of an exception though. She was all that and more. Win had told me she was an interesting lady, that she had lived an interesting life. Win was understating it. I think we closed the restaurant – I know we were still talking when the bus boy was hovering around our table wanting to clear it. And the rest of the tables were empty and already set up for the following day.

Can you imagine being born in Spain before the Spanish Revolution and escaping as a child to France? Then later escaping France when Hitler rampaged across Europe? And yet again from Cuba after Castro came to power? This lady had done all of that and more. Her story could have kept me entranced for at least another week of dinners and more.  She’s curious about finding someone to ghostwrite her life story and I’m going to try to help her find such a person. But in the meantime, I’m reminded:

Meeting new people is always and adventure – one I should never hesitate to accept. Life is way too short and there are worlds out there to explore. It’s the people you meet who can bring some of those worlds to your door.

Thank you Win for shooting me that invitation and thank you Marguerite for sharing some of the colorful stories of your life. You are an amazing woman and I’m glad I met you. 

                                             

Posted by: Skye AT 08:21 am   |  Permalink   |  8 Comments  |  Email
Comments:
Love you blog. Years ago, I was very shy. I hated meeting new people and would resist if I could. Then my husband and I were invited to a dinner party by a friend (he was the representative ot the UN from Mozambique). My husband coerced me into going. Once there, I met the Assistant to the Secetary General of the UN and spent a most delightful evening talking to him and is wife. Afterward, it ocurred to me how much I woulod miss if I continued to shy away from meeting new people. That was the very beginning of me shedding my self-imposed shell.
Posted by Elizabeth Sinclair on 06/17/2014 - 11:16 AM
Skye, me thinks you have the right attitude. Revisions are very important and you'll get them done. But part of what makes you a writer is listening and participating. Hearing this story was meant to be. Not only to you personally but professionally. I wonder...was your muse not hard at work thinking I want to tell this story?
Posted by Donnell Bell on 06/17/2014 - 11:21 AM
Skye, I understand how our lives can get so busy that we forget to take time our to actually live it, and that includes taking time to meet new people. We all have a story, but some have more interesting stories that need to be told. I love that you closed the restaurant listening to this woman talk. I hope she finds someone to write her story. I think it would be wonderful to read.
Posted by Vickie King on 06/17/2014 - 11:46 AM
Great post, Skye, and one that resonates with me. As kid I was almost pathologically shy, and it continued into adulthood. Then I found my outgoing, never-met-a-stranger husband.(whose mother also fled Cuba)From him I learned, to my amazement, most people didn't bite. The shyness still lurks, and it's a constant battle, but your post is a good reminder of what's lost if I give in.
Posted by Justine Davis on 06/17/2014 - 01:16 PM
My husband says I sometimes get "the look" when I'm talking to someone--especially someone I've just met for the first time. "The look" means the person has somehow connected with my muse, and whatever I'm learning from this person is going to show up in a book eventually. That's one reason I love meeting new people: I never know when a new acquaintance will arouse my muse.
Posted by Judith Arnold on 06/18/2014 - 11:03 AM
I'm with you, Skye. I think many writers tend toward the reclusive side, not because we're aloof, but we're basically shy. My first inclination is all too often to look for an excuse to stay home. If I'd gone with that inclination, I would have miss out on some of the best life has to offer. (Like Justine, I'm married to a man who knows how to make the first move in the presence of unfamiliar faces.)
Posted by Kathleen Eagle on 06/18/2014 - 11:28 AM
Skye, what an interesting blog. I agree. It's always fun to meet new contacts and to hear all about their wonderful adventures. Good for you for reaching out in spite of a self-imposed deadline. Glo Ferguson
Posted by Glo Ferguson on 06/18/2014 - 04:10 PM
Great post, Skye! And one that really resonates. It's hard to meet new people but almost always worth it. Your experience proves it. What an interesting lady!
Posted by Sparkle Abbey on 06/19/2014 - 12:36 AM

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