Memories

misty water-colored memories
-Barbra Streisand

I went to Target the last time I was in Denver and had something interesting happen. I was in the DVD section and fell into a conversation with the man standing next to me. You know how you sometimes make an instant connection with someone you have never met before? It can be so intense that you remember them the rest of your life. I have had that happen a couple of time in my life that I can remember; there was a cab driver in New York and, another time, my sister's neighbor's aunt. I can't explain what it is like, you have either had it happen or you haven't. Well, I felt the same thing with this man.

We stood there talking about movies and the next thing I knew he was telling me how he had a stroke eight months before and that he spent that time period after it re-learning how to walk and talk. I remarked that he was doing very well for someone who had a stroke only eight months earlier. He said he thought so too but one after-effect of the stroke was the fact that he had lost his short term memory. I thought about this for a few seconds and then asked him if he would remember our conversation. He hesitated and then said, "Probably not."

That made me feel sad because I knew he had felt the instant connection and in a short time he would not remember it or me. I didn't want him to forget so instead of smiling politely and saying good-bye I put out my hand and he instinctively took it. Trying to put as much energy and feeling as I could into the handshake I warmly told him what a pleasure it was to meet him. Then I said good-bye and walked away.

Sometimes the body remembers when the brain does not. Maybe, by me touching him, deep in his being he will remember the connection we had. No one wants to be forgotten.