The Date.

We walked along the river to sit by eye glass bridge. We then sat and talked for a while listening to the river and sounds that one only notices once the sun has set. It was summer so it made for a warm comfortable evening, ideal for short sleeves. We spoke of dreams, hopes, childhood antics and the sort. As the evening grew we looked to the cloudy sky, the lights from the city reflected on the low hanging ceiling and gave the mountains in the background a dimly lit silhouette. The moment lasted longer than most, it was beautiful, and we were the only people on the bridge except for the odd motor scooter or shopkeeper returning home.

We then stood and continued our walk, now walking toward the hills. It was dark now and the little streets and passageways were empty. It was just the two of us, walking up and down narrow alleyways and corridors. We were directed by our curiosity, we were alive in the moment. The streets became narrower with every turn, more mysterious as the night grew later. Following old stairs and narrow passageways the labyrinth drew us closer to the hilltops and closer to one another. After some time we reached a lookout above the town. We gazed out over the lights and the dark sea in the distance. We sat for what may have been a lifetime, without speaking, just holding hands and letting time trickle by, moment by moment, our hearts slowly filling with the emotions that words can’t tell.

Eventually, after the city grew silent, we drifted back down into the labyrinth of twisting passageways and stairs. We sat for bit on a small set of steps, she pulled her MP3 player from her rucksack and asked me to listen to music with her. I sat with her and I dreamt with eyes wide and wild filled with her. I dreamt of something that was natural and mysterious, impossible to grasp.

The people we meet.

While living far away from Canada for a few years ago, I learned that regret is a foolish way to induce stress on your self. Regret is mourning mistakes that have past and spending energy to find someone or something to blame. Something must have brought you to that point, so regretting it will mean regretting your life prior to that moment. Rather, let it go and use those experiences to develop and strengthen yourself. Find the opportunity that is within the next moment.

No moment can ever be duplicated, replaced or retraced, nothing is static and everything is changing. Loss, sadness and pain are beautiful as they help us appreciate everything we have and the opposites that lay ahead.

Once while climbing mountains in Asia I met an older couple who where climbing together. I said to them that I thought it was uncommon for older people to be pursuing such activities at there age. I asked, "Is this the secret to a healthy relationship and marriage?" The husband, then looked at me with a smile that was as strong as marble. He then looked over at his wife with silent unannounced affection and said. [u]"For couples, sadness is half, but joy is double."[/u] He then went on to tell me that they have been Alpinists for years, that these are wonderful experiences that bring them closer to one another, mainly because they fight about the little things but have to pull it together in order to keep solid footing on the mountain. Then his wife looked at me with a smile that one gives to a grandchild and said, "If you think we are too old for this, than maybe you are the old one, don't grow up to fast enjoy these moments, they are the souvenirs we take when our eyes close for the last time."