Today, I was reminded that, even though I live a frugal life, I am not impoverished. What am I talking about? When I collected my mail today, the most recent issue of Bird Watcher's Digest magazine was waiting for me. Inside were articles about Elegant Trogons, summertime hummingbirds and especially (my favorite) the featured "ID Yourself" piece, which this time was about the Long-winged Peeps.
You see, this magazine was a gift from my friend, Bill Thompson III, whose formal name makes him sound more inaccessible than he really is.
The fact is, I met Bill at Houghton Mifflin's NYC offices one hot and extremely humid NYC day last summer, when he was in town, visiting his literary agent and publisher. I remember sitting there in a beautiful air-conditioned room, drinking cold water, sweating like a pig after running to the east side of town from the 1 train while wearing the best (hottest) clothes I owned, hoping to not look like the unemployed t-shirt clad scientist that I (sadly, really) am.
It's not often that I meet strangers, especially people who do really interesting things, so I was quite nervous. But Bill was so much fun to talk to and so generous to me with his connections and resources, that I forgot that we had only just met. Then a month or so later, after that really fun conversation that made me feel less isolated in this money-driven and success-only city I live in, I found the first issue of my gift in my mailbox.
Since then, I have -- cautiously -- bounced a few bird story ideas off Bill, who is always kind and encouraging, which is good because I am always certain that my ideas stink, so I back off from them almost immediately. I hope that one of these days, I will gain the courage to follow through with my in-print writing ideas, but until then, and even after, I wish to thank Bill for being himself: kind, generous and so very fun to be with.
I am not sure if I ever thanked him properly. If not, then I wish to do so now. Thanks Bill, for meeting me, for sharing, for being yourself.
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i couldn't agree with you more about the frugal vs impoverished bit. I am barely making it on SSDI But the electricity is on and i am typing on a macbook. I have heat in winter and running water and a toilet that flushes. Because I am in Massachusetts I have access to better healthcare and services than in the other 49 states. They even give me a free cellphone with 80 minutes a month on it! Although i want some nicer things than I have now, I am not lacking. Its good to appreciate the things you have in this life.