Wired Together

 

 

 

"For an instant, we were wired together and humming,

like two engines on the same circuit."

Donna Tartt

THE GOLDFINCH

 

 

 

 

In the Goldfinch written by Donna Tartt, I could relate to the main character.  Here are some of his thoughts:  "Was it normal to fixate on strangers in this particular vivid, fevered way?  Often I saw interesting looking people on the street and thought about them restlessly for days.   For years I turned those strangers over in my mind, wondering who they were and what their lives were like.  I was very taken by the idea that a person might notice in passing some bewitching stranger and remember her for the rest of his life."

 

I am forever reminded we are all connected in some way, shape, or form. We walk by people for years never knowing them, until later through chance meeting, discover how frequently our paths have crossed. We arrive at a scheduled event to discover a dear friend is also attending, but we never previously realized we shared the same interest.

We laugh with each other when we experience being on the same wave length. We comfort each other when we share tragedies. We sometimes relate better with total strangers than long time friends. Then there are instances when we can sit quietly with another, and still know what they are thinking.

 

The most curious to me are the people we have noticed, exchanged glances, and never seen again.  When I was in college I was driving across a bridge from Missouri into Illinois.  It was late afternoon and I noticed a woman in a nurse's uniform in the middle of the bridge.  For whatever reason, she caught my attention and I kept watching her.  She turned and looked at me as I drove by.  Her face was all red, and tears were streaming down her face.  Her body was convulsing while she sobbed.  I could not stop nor did I go back, but I wondered if she would jump or merely cry herself out. I wondered if she had experienced a death of a patient or if she was mourning the end of a relationship.  Of course I will never know, but I will always remember her.

 

Years ago, I was walking through the mall with my daughter who was an adorable toddler.  We had just been talking and were holding hands.  As I glanced away from her, there was a man dressed in a suit with a black long over coat walking in the opposite direction.  He had gray hair and magnificent blue eyes.  Although he was a distance from me, our eyes locked on each other and neither of us turned away.  In real time, I am certain it was just seconds, but those brief seconds opened to a pocket of time where I experienced unconditional love and the sense of complete bliss.  Our eyes released each other and we both smiled in some emotional recognition.  I never saw him again and somehow I knew I never would, but I was absolutely certain that we were connected in some  unearthly way.  "For an instant, we were wired together ... "