lent || high-fives & the color blue
They have almost nothing in common, however, in the past three weeks I have been confronted by their interconnectedness. I was crossing a bridge, walking home from a friend’s house, wearing a shirt that I bought years ago. It is the most comfortable shirt I have and… its blue. The stitching is dark blue and it has a perfectly smooth lining fabric that embraces you with love every time you put it on. It is a bit to small-I did buy it in high school, but I only notice this when I am in civilization. When I am out running or on a trail the sleeves are perfect because the thing is fitted. Its my blue shirt. And I can do anything in it. Maybe it is the color; it looks like the sky or a Nalgene bottle top maybe even the ocean. It is the bluest of blues.
The other day I was running, running away from complacency, running toward belonging and toward honesty with myself. Runs are lonely, maybe because I run alone, but perhaps it is because you are forced to process those unspoken things that have carved out space throughout the day. That thing that someone said that sounded so great, but maybe upon further reflection it is on its way to sting you. It was in this lonely spot, having just crossed that one bridge, then I saw a blue shirt on the horizon. There is just something about a good color blue. Shirts especially, when they fit like you are going somewhere. It was that bluest of blues color and instantly I recognized the man inside of it’s sleeves.
He is in my greek class, his name is Nathan, he is Anglican and he grew up in Costa Rica. I had no shirt on, only blue shorts, but felt no shame as the five o’clock sun warmed my back. We both had ear phones shoved in our heads and were flying, he especially because he was coming down hill. In unison we raised our hands preparing for a high-five. This was an 18 MPH high-five, just firm and good. We were both all smiles and neither of us looked back, continuing at our 9 MPH pace in opposite directions. There was connection and maybe it way the blue-ness or the automated response we both had, Im not really sure. The moment was way to macho for both of us and perhaps that was why it was just perfect. High-fives and the color blue… I’m still not sure why they are connected so intricately, and maybe this has all been really confusing and you want a refund; I think this post might be one of those ones that takes a few days to kick in. Till then Ill be on the look out for more blue things, as should you. I will also be experimenting with climactic high-fives.
