The Right Kind of Meeting:A Run-In with the Past and Admitting When You're Wrong...

This morning,I ran into a girl I was briefly involved with while I was outside my workplace answering a phonecall from a contractor. I haven't seen or really talked to this person since things ended, rather awkwardly (my bad) in the Spring.

When she stopped, I swallowed my pride, told the contractor I'd call him back, and decided I probably should say something.

So we talked. I don't like loose strings. I don't like leaving questions unanswered, especially when its so easy to just ask.

After talking for a few minutes, I realized how much of a total dick I had been towards the end of things. This is a brilliant person, someone who I had fallen madly in love with, and someone who I let my self-imposed blindness and selfishness get in the way of doing the right thing by stepping back.

Since she and I last talked, I think we both have done a lot of maturing, readjusting, and figuring out a bit more of who we really want out of life. I also realized she was in a much better place, healthier, more alive than I ever remember seeing or hearing her.

And I realized, too, that I'm in a much better place, despite an increased workload and a bit more stress. I go out and socialize with people. I don't treat my time in Oxford as a prison sentence anymore, but rather as just one of life's interesting twists and turns.

It was a pleasant conversation, a grown-up conversation, and something free of all of that past baggage...at least from my end of things. And she's even considering librarianship as a possible career option and thanked me for introducing her to it.

She said she'd like to go to lunch sometime. Why not? She's a very cool person to hang out with - one of the most interesting people I've met in my time here. And it seems like we've probably got a lot of catching up to do. No strings attached, no expectations, just lunch.

Maybe we can help each other answer some of those unanswered questions.