Regarding my coffee date, that first time we met, we discussed some of the regulars in the gym. I wouldn’t call it gossip, since neither of us are the type. It was more a sharing and comparing of our impressions of people which was really enjoyable to me because he’s observant but very different from me.

Like our writing. I write (true) stories and this blog. He writes lyrical poetry. He writes some other things but primarily he writes songs that record his emotions (Pisces Moon). I do the same, but in my own way.

So we discussed the Neighborhood Sagittarian and I told him how I’d written about her and felt she was a very important cog in the whole system there.

“We’re all connected by her as she travels from person to person sharing our stories, all over the place.”

The next time we met, he told me he’d started to see things the way I do in the gym. He started to see all the stories, that is.

“Yeah, there are all kinds of stories in there. For example, there is this gal, and every time she gets on a machine… wherever she goes there is this one guy who always gets right next to her.”

“As if she’s not going to notice that,” I said.

“Well he’s trying to muscle in, I’m sure. But she’s not showing him any love at all,” he said with a chuckle.

And I got the idea this change of perspective (a Jupiter thing) had benefited him (also a Jupiter thing). It will help his art. And stories are Jupiter ruled of course and last night as I was talking to a depressed friend, it occurred to me I should write this. Because she’s going through this dark time and I wound up telling her to try to see the stories around her.

For example, all the problems you might have at work, or with your family, or whatever. If all those people are characters in a big story, then the more outrageously they act the better! They make a much better story.

And if you pay mind to other people’s stories, you get to get out of your own for a minute which can be an enormous relief when you’re depressed.

Do stories cheer you?