The People You Meet

I sat side by side with a therapist while she probed the stories beneath the stories of her patients. Each case presented as one set of problems but ultimately revealed itself to be something else, something deeper. The patients didn’t want to look at these problems but they did. Healing happened but the process was arduous. The people I met were fascinating.

I sat side by side with an American who had a Pakistani name. His parents were from Pakistan. He was not. His American story, however, got mired by the events of 9-11. His American status could not overcome what people saw when they looked at him. Could not overcome what people heard when they learned his name. He suffered because of the judgements meted out by his fellow Americans. Americans led to believe they had the right to judge. The person I met captivated me with their story.

I sat side by side with a brilliant group of senior citizens. I met up with them in their senior living residences in jolly old England and listened in as they solved murder mysteries. They danced around the local officials, waltzed with danger, and sometimes met with tragedy. But they got the job done and I laughed with them and cried with them and feared for them. The people I met became my dear friends.

I sat side by side with a couple of ranch hands. They needed work and they needed to stay out of trouble. The problem was that trouble had a way of finding them. When trouble knocked too hard I wanted to stop reading. I didn’t want to see what I knew was coming. But I stuck with the book because the people I met deserved to be heard.

I read a lot of books and the people I meet open my eyes to places, problems, and ideas. They offer me the opportunity to expand my knowledge and take a walk in their shoes. I might never do these things in ‘real’ life. But a book can take me anywhere. And I’m grateful for the people I meet while I’m there.

Who have you met recently in the pages of a book?