Andrew Osborne was born in Oklahoma, but grew up in North Carolina. Currently majoring in English at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, He has a deep love for stories of all types. He hopes to write many stories in his life time and wholeheartedly believes in the power of stories to change the world, and hopes that maybe his can make it just a little bit better. PACES“Ten paces.”
“Is this what you’re doing now? Counting each step?” “Of course, I’ve been counting ever since we started walking together.” “Is there any reason for it?” “To see how far we go.” “I guess people have done much more for much less.” “Exactly, Virgil wrote the Aeneid simply because Augustus asked him to.” “I thought there was more to it than that?” “I mean, there’s always more to everything, a smile on the street, a tear across the cheek, there’s always more going on behind the scenes than we can see. All these small little towns we see, we only see what we see; we don’t see the everyday life of these people.” “I guess that’s true.” “I mean, think about it like a stage. Whether you go to a play...” “Or a concert.” “Or anything like that, what you see on the stage is only the tip of the iceberg. Sure, whatever is happening on stage is what’s important to the audience, but there’s so much going on behind the scenes to make sure that the audience can experience it. There’s the directors, the tech, the light engineers, the people who actually built the stage all big parts that you don’t see going on behind the performance.” “And people are the same way?” “Oh sure, everybody, including me and you, have a lot more going on behind the scenes than anybody else knows.” “But what about honest people, or people who have nothing to hide?” “They may be honest, and they may legitimately have nothing to hide, but if that is the case, then there’s something that they are unconsciously hiding from other people. Even the most morally correct person will still hide things from others, it’s just our nature, it’s how we’re wired. It’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Sure, there are times when hiding things will have bad results, but everybody needs some part of them that they keep to themselves.” “Our bodies are temples. If that’s the case then that makes sense that everybody should have something that they hold sacred to themselves.” “Two hundred and thirteen paces.” “Do you feel the need to go back to work yet?” “No, not at all.” “I do.” “Why is that?” “I think I’m just a social person at heart. And as much as I do enjoy talking with you, I do every now and then feel the need to see the other people in my life.” “You mean you can’t just spend your whole life staring and talking to the same person?” “Exactly. People were meant to make many friends. The more friends one has, the more you get to experience different sides of life.” “Like having multiple friends from different cultures.” “Yes! I love meeting people from different cultures, it helps me view life differently. But not just things as dramatic as culture, but also smaller things as well. For example, I have a friend who is a professional dancer, and I have never wanted to do anything with dance my whole life, yet I’m fascinated by her talk of what she does, when she tells me all the various techniques, stretches, and overall just her daily routine. Just listening to her talk gives me insight into what it would be like to live a life that is completely different than mine!” “And your work is the best place to do that?” “Maybe not the best place, but certainly the most practical. Although sometimes, I admit, I feel like I’m putting on a mask while talking with co-workers, I seem to act so differently around them then I do around, say someone like you.” “I know what you mean. I do the same thing, and in fact, that used to scare me a little, because I wasn’t sure who I really was, you know, back in like, middle school where your personality was still truly developing.” “I find it hard to imagine you being worried about anything like that.” “Me too, but I was. It was only when I realized that everyone has multiple sides to them, and that we don’t have to force ourselves to decide on just one, that the crisis was averted.” “Huh. I’ll try to remember that when we have to go back to work and I’m trying to meet new people.” “Okay, so you say that work’s your most practical place to meets people, and that’s why you don’t mind it, but what about the actual work you have to do? Doesn’t that get tiring after a while?” “Of course it does! There are days where I wake up and want nothing more than to roll over and forget all my responsibilities. But even if I didn’t go to work on a normal day, what would I do? Humans are designed to always be doing something. Ever since the stone ages, we spent all of our days doing something, whether it was hunting and gathering, or now a days whether it’s painting,” “Or writing,” “Or reading, “Or singing.” “Humans are always doing something, or should be. That’s why we feel such discontent when we’re not doing anything, that’s what ‘boredom’ is, being discontent that we’re not doing something.” “How would you explain people who are able to do nothing but sleep or lay in bed all day?” “Even creatures that were created to do something at all times need time to recharge.” “I guess that makes sense. It’s like a phone, created to always be on, to always be working, but unless you recharge it, it will shut off. Humans are the same way, that’s why we love days of rest so much. Imagine, if we never had breaks, if we had to work twenty-four-seven, we would be dead on our feet.” “We’d be robots, void of any emotion.” “We’d be zombies, void of any brains!” “We’d be potatoes, void of basically everything except good taste.” “Yeah, literally. That’s why not working during the Sabbath was so important to early Jews and Christians.” “That and it gave them a chance to devote a whole day to worshipping their God.” “Yes, but for some people, that in itself could be recharging. Six Hundred and two paces.” “It’s interesting how such a little thing as getting to sleep in a few more hours can change a whole week.” “True, and sometimes an even smaller thing can change an entire lifetime.” “Right, I feel like that happens a lot when it comes to love.” “‘People fall in love in mysterious ways, maybe just the touch of a hand’” “There’s so much truth in that statement it’s almost scary. When you think about it, almost anything can cause someone to fall in love.” “A touch of a hand.” “A meeting of the eyes.” “An introduction.” “One holding the door for another.” “One letting the other use their umbrella.” “A quiet evening.” “A smile.” “Oh God, a smile is probably the most powerful one. A smile can melt someone’s heart, a smile can make their knees weak, a smile can make their head spin. There’s so much a smile can do.” “I agree one hundred percent.” “Just think, what would the world be if we couldn’t smile?” “Very sad I’d imagine.” “More than that! Think about it, how would you express the feeling that you get when you look into the eyes of someone you love? How would you express the feeling of coming home and having your pet come running up to you? How would you express the feeling of completing a long term goal?” “I see what you’re saying. We wouldn’t be able to show how we feel about all those little moments that we lack words for. I mean, we could try to use our words…” “But that just wouldn’t get the point across.” “Right. Language can only express so much.” “Right, for example, try to explain to someone who has been blind since birth what a color looks like.” “I believe I have actually tried to do something like that, and it didn’t go very well.” “That’s because of the limitations of language. We can try to explain what color looks like, but we’ll never really be successful, because our language simply lacks the ability to do something like that. In fact, some scientists believe that it’s possible that what we see for colors could be completely different from what another person sees. What I see for blue, could be what you see for yellow.” “Or what I see for green, you could see for red.” “Exactly, but we have no idea because we can’t express what we see. We really would only be able to know for sure what they’re seeing if we could get inside another person’s head.” “Which wouldn’t really be good for anyone.” “Yes, thank goodness we can’t read minds. But again, it’s funny how language in itself is somewhat flawed. It’s our main way of communicating with one another, but at the same time words alone leave out so many things. For example, like colors, feelings can’t truly be described. Try describing the feeling of being happy, and if you’re good with words, you can get the point across. But a person could never truly understand the feeling of happiness without feeling it themselves. And that’s only a simple emotion; imagine trying to explain to someone how it feels when multiple inexplicable emotions run through you all at the same time. You may understand what I’m talking about, but that’s because I know you’ve experienced something like that before. And that’s why something like a smile is so important. Also, think about how a smile impacts people around you.” “What do you mean?” “I mean, have you ever had your own mood change simply because someone was smiling around you?” “I’m not sure…” “Oh come on! I’m almost positive you have. Think about something like this: It’s been a long day, you’re walking, and along the sidewalk farther up ahead you see your friend.” “Okay.” “You’re tired, you’re worn out, you’re not even sure if you want to say hi to this person. “I understand that feeling.” “Right. Well, despite how you feel, you have to walk that way anyways, as that’s just the way you have to go, meaning you know you’ll have to pass your friend anyways, although you’re still not sure whether you want to initiate the greeting. “Usually I don’t.” “Either way, as you’re debating this in your head, you get closer and closer to your friend, and they end up seeing you. “So then I panic and pretend like I never saw them in the first place.” “But, without thinking twice, they give you a warm smile, a nod, a wave, maybe even a hug. The exchange takes maybe ten seconds at most, and then you continue to walk, except now, without even noticing, you’re smiling.” “I’m not sure I’ve personally ever experienced something like that.” “Really?” “Yeah, but either way, I understand what you’re saying. It goes back again to how such a little thing can impact someone, right?” “Right.” “One thousand, three hundred and twenty seven paces.” “How do you manage to keep up with that number and still carry a decent conversation?” “I don’t know, it’s just something I’ve always been able to do.” “Do you know how many steps we’ve taken since we started? “One hundred and thirty-five thousand, seven hundred and thirty steps.” “And we’ve seen so much with each step.” “Yeah, the blue skies, the rolling hills, the endless fields, blue skies...” “Don’t forget the quaint little towns.” “Of course! How could I forget them? Towns full of people living day to day, going to this job, some to that job, to feed their families, or to sometimes just feed themselves. They would work hard each day, sweating and aching, coming home exhausted and sore, knowing that the next day, they would have to get up, and do it all over again. And yet, as we passed them, they always offered us a smile.” “Some work on those hills and fields we saw.” “Some spend all day looking at the blue sky.” “Some helped build those quaint towns.” “But unfortunately, we’ll never really know for sure who did what.” “Right, with each step we take, we see a new life, a new family, a new passion, all connected to each other, but we’ll never know their names. We’ll never know why they’re there, what they’re doing, where did they come from, what did they have for breakfast, did they even have breakfast? You know, the little details that make up each stranger’s individual lives.” “Yeah, things like: how did they meet their wife, how did they meet their husband, do they have kids, do they even want kids?” “What time do they go to bed, what time do they wake up in the morning, what is their job, how are they paid?” “Do they read? Do they paint? Do they write?” “Are they happy?” “Are they sad?” “Do they even notice the blue sky every day? Or the rolling hills? Or the endless fields? Or the quaint towns? Do they wake up every day, look around them, smile at the sky, and thank God that they’re where they are, or do they look down, frown, and curse Him?” “You’re right, these are questions that we will never get answered as we walk along, waving to these strangers as we pass their homes. But you know, sometimes I think that as much as we would like to know the answers to these strangers’ lives, sometimes I think that we can’t even answer these questions about our own lives.” “What do you mean?” “I mean, do you ever wake up and know what you’re doing, or why you’re where you are, where did you come from, do you want kids, what’s your passion, are you truly happy, or are you truly sad, do you even notice your own blue sky every day, and your own rolling hills and endless fields and quaint little town? Or do you, or rather do we, just go along on our own life, wondering about other’s lives, and maybe even wishing a little that we had theirs?” “You know, I never really thought about that, but hey, that’s just life, isn’t it? We spend every waking hour wondering this and that about life, the universe, and beyond knowing that we’ll probably never know the answer, and if we do, it will just raise more questions. We’ll never be satisfied with just one answer, we have to have them all. There will always be someone we pass whose life we know absolutely nothing about, whose questions we can’t answer, which causes us to in turn question ourselves. We want so desperately to know about that random person, simply to put our mind at ease, to stop all of our questions, so that at last we can get one answer that will satisfy our curiosity, but it will never happen. We’ll continue to ask questions until we’re blue in the face, creating a cycle that will repeat endlessly, and can never be broken.” “You have such a way with words.” “Well, I learned it from you.” “I doubt that. But you know, even if we can never truly be satisfied, even if our questions cannot be answered, if we die still wondering about that stranger we met on our journey, none of that really matters, because there will always be blue sky. There will always be rolling hills, and endless fields, and quaint little towns, and we can always continue to walk, together, waving to those strangers, and wondering about their lives. And with that, I am satisfied.” “Should we continue to walk?” “Yes, let’s.”
2 Comments
susan osborne
1/16/2018 12:11:54 pm
The perfect length. The conversation was thought worthy and in a manner that friends would use. The ending, that simplicity of life will carry us through, is one which I adhere to.
Reply
Cassie
1/20/2018 10:09:25 am
Great work Andrew!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|