We were the student and the teacher, the father and missing son, the family who had never met. Under the dim bar lighting and sounds of laughter and pool table chatter, I sat alone. Yet I felt a strange love surrounding the atmosphere, with one question on my mind, apologetically asking around in a setting where no such question should ever be asked. There was one who had the answer I unknowingly was searching for. Black high tops, with the short sleeve hoodie, water bottle and a bag of peanuts, hair locked, and a light to share.“What's the purpose of life?” He answered, “To find God.”Moving forward. We were the believers. We were the ones who maintained their faith, through every challenge and every tribulation. We were the plug that never unplugged. As we were, As we are, and as we will continue to be, the recognizer and the changers, leaving an everlasting impression that holds truth of the divine and most high. We were the strangers, who were led by unseen forces to create beauty that emanates from our hearts. To define this moment when you need them most, is in its very essence, undefinable. You could say it was a play, theater arts being flawlessly acted out. In this moment, there is no end foreshadowed. Only glimpses of a future brighter than this light currently shines. We were the ones that knew where we came from, knew where we were, and could see only the next step in front of us. We were the ones that stepped into the illuminated future.Walking through the door, not alone but might as well have been. A few members by his side. A found soul surrounded by lost ones. Standing as if life had entered a room full of the deceased. He walked in with a curtain type of crew, they stood out with a particular nonchalant attitude that had eyes in curiosity. He stepped in with the type of confidence that he had wished to embody. A smooth walk and a fashion that was particularly unique. I was not the only one that witnessed this, many saw and felt the presence. It was as if the conversations slowed down for a moment, and the music lowered. Reflecting on why I asked him this question, the only reasoning seems as though I was led. Met with a smile, he sipped his water. He must’ve seen a reflection in me. A curtain curiosity that shined through my eyes, as if he was looking at one of his own. It's a mirror we all have looked in before. As we interact with these beings we find qualities that are undeniably within our own spirit, and these people reach us through means we can't always explain with logic. He had few words but the ones he spoke were old time lessons. Never judgmental to a young man's mistakes. The stories that he spoke of, and the wisdom. As if this was the filling of the large gap in my spirit, I couldn’t help but feel overcome with hope. Everything I went through he seemed to have gone through before.I ran home to ponder. “Once you accept… in your heart, your mind, and then your spirit, you can never die, so you never have to worry about a single thing.”I went out that night looking for happiness. Coming into a space where the dopamine flows like the draft beer and debit card swipes. I left that night feeling like I had an army on my side. Though I was by myself, I never felt alone again. Internal monologues of reassurance play in my mind, like the songs from my childhood, always bringing me peace. I've never felt that safe in my whole life. I continued to appear at that bar time-to-time, but never with the same intention or with the same mindset. I would meet a new soul, but strangely, it seemed as though I already knew who they were. I was learning more about the people than they had even known about themselves. The amount of truth that was flowing through me… it seemed to spill out in my words and shine out of my skin like I was glowing. I felt like the others could see. I felt like they could see the light in me as if it were a reflection upon themselves. I would see him from time to time, same light, same mind. I remember being in downtown Allston late at night, when the only things that were open were the dives and the bodegas, searching for my next good feeling. My friend is right beside me. At that moment we knew exactly where we were, but we might as well have been lost. I look up the street, and the figure stands tall. Black high tops, with the short sleeve hoodie, water bottle and a small basket of chicken, I called out. I was so hungry that night I was beginning to wither away, and then came his offering. At what seemed to be perfect timing. I could have ran, but I guess you can never really hide from the truth. And he continued to cross my path, like a memory from my childhood that replays in your mind. Walking past that family restaurant that you forgot ever existed. Now it seems so significant. There he was in the window. He looked up and smiled. Always offering food, spiritual food, which we all know we can’t live without. Just like the first time we talked, the conversation continued where we left off. Slowly planting seeds that would grow into the strongest home. Slowly painting the world as a place to spread beauty. Fatherly advice I seemed not to deserve before this moment. It’s a sight to behold when certain monarchs like this cross your path. Lend your ears to the music. “Be open to the blessings and the benefits of this moment. “ He said, “Stay curious to the truth. Always improve each and every day, one day at a time”. I used to tell him how scared I was. But he told me the fear wasn’t my own. You know that feeling when you're craving something real, something true and deep? Resonating feelings. It was the first time I found meaning.
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