Almost a Dozen Curious but True Stories of Suzanne -- The Woman Whose Life You Helped Save

[sun rise]

Suzanne's life reads like sketches on the way to being a novel. I'm not sure I want to be her, but I loved reading about her.

 

[Sunstone]

Suzanne's life reads like sketches on the way to being a novel. I'm not sure I want to be her, but I loved reading about her.

I feel almost exactly the same way you do about her, Sunrise. I wouldn't want her life, but it's an interesting one.

 

[Sunstone]

I wish there was a "wow" rating button we could click. So many interesting stores!

Thank you so much for your kind remarks, Terese. That's so sweet of you!

 

[Terese]

That Loud Pounding Sound You Hear Near Midnight​

Suzanne loves to hike moonlit mountain trails, and her favorite hour for it is midnight.

To give her credit, there are few things so magical as the mountains on a moonlit night. The trees, the bushes, the rocks, and even the occasional animals, all look ghostly, enchanted.

Add to that, the charm of sometimes being able to come within a stone's throw of wild animals, such as a herd of mule or whitetail deer. Mule deer -- at 30 or 40 feet away in the night -- are so well camouflaged they can barely be seen at that distance, even in moonlight. And once they spot you, they don't flee, as they might during the day, but stealthily move off, as silently as they can.

Large, silently moving, dimly seen shapes have a short of eeriness to them. An eeriness that appeals to Suzanne like rain puddles to a child. She loves how the moon enchants the mountains.

For a few years, it was a dangerous assumption on my part to think I might get to bed early on the night of a full moon. If I were so foolish as to try it, there was at least a 50-50 chance that around 11:30 or so, the door would be shaken by an extraordinarily loud pounding. BAM! BAM! BAM! Ten seconds later. BAM! BAM! BAM! And so on every ten seconds until I answered the door.

Suzanne was never one to risk that I might sleep through her knocking.

"Hi, Babe! Grab your coat! The Mountain King demands our presence at court." I'm quoting her there. To Suzanne, things like mountain kings are within kissing distance of reality. She has one of the strongest imaginations for such things of anyone I know who does not actually and really believe in them.

So off we'd go to one or another trailhead. Seasons of the year didn't matter to Suzanne. She was just as ready to hike a chilly summer night as she was to hike a freezing winter night. Often, we'd find at some distance down a trail a rock outcropping to sit or lie down on in order -- as she would put it -- "to get a moon tan". That's when we'd softly chat -- during the hikes themselves, we were usually as silent as the deer.

The hikes typically lasted two to three hours.

That hiking story made me very excited I've never hiked before, let alone in the enchanting dark with the moon hanging. I have a big desire to do so one day. In rare instances I've walked with my family to places after dark, and its very beautiful. Especially when its dark but not terribly so and the clouds look like they are glowing. I think i'd quite benefit from seeing a sunset too

 

[SalixIncendium]

Great stories, Phil! You are, indeed, quite fortunate to know such a free-spirited, fun person!

 

[ChristineM]

@Sunstone

Suzanne sounds like one hell of a girl, you are fortunate to be her friend.

And you write a pretty good story too.

 

[Sunstone]

Just after high school. or perhaps during high school, I had the realisation that it's the person, not the gender. Doubled my potential friends immediately. So I became friends with a group of 5 girls. I didn't chase them, and was big brother more than a few times, pretending I was their boyfriend, so they could get some horny idiot off their backs. I was the only guy. We'd drive around, go for coffee, go for walks. At university, I was taking elementary education, so there were naturally more women about. Coffee, group projects, and all that. Then I was an elementary teacher for 30 years, so again, just more women around. Former students who I've stayed in touch with are all female. I coached girls volleyball, they saw me as friend/older brother.

I asked my Guru about it once ... as there is some degree of gender separation in my faith. (At social functions the women visit each other, and there is a mens corner too, things like that.) Gurudeva just said, simply. "Fine, just see them all as your sister." So it's like that. Your friend Suzanne sounds like that hot tomboy kid stereotype. lover of adventure.

But the bottom line is I think I find men sort of annoying. Not all men, but some. Seems they have bigger egos, harder nuts to crack, and hence I've never really ever had many close male friends. Some, sure. On the same note, I discard age in friendship, as do you, I suspect. Former students are all much younger than me, but the guy who ran the pool hall in my home town was 40 years my senior, and he was a friend.

Of those 5, I married one, and am still close to another. (Boss too) On the recent pilgrimage to Toronto, she came along, and the three of us had a great time, went to Niagara Falls, got lost, saw a bunch of temples. There is a comfort level there I can't quite explain.

I very much admire your early in life realization that it's the person, and not the gender, that counts. It took me much longer than it took you to come to the same realization, but once I did, I had the something of the same take on it -- it struck me as immediately doubling my potential friends. I felt a whole new world had been given to me.

Today, I have almost exactly as many close female friends as I do male friends. You strike me as having had a fascinating life. It's the kind of life I myself would have wanted, had I gone into education as I once thought I might.

 

[Sunstone]

Great stories, Phil! You are, indeed, quite fortunate to know such a free-spirited, fun person!

Thanks, Scott. I believe Suzanne is in her own way remarkable, but then, I believe just about everyone is remarkable in their own way -- you only have to look closely enough. With Suzanne, though, it's easy to see how she stands out.

I'm curious, does she remind you of anyone you yourself know? Is there anything about her that strikes you as familiar?

 

[Sunstone]

Suzanne sounds like one hell of a girl, you are fortunate to be her friend.

I feel Suzanne is one of a very many people who have blessed my life. If I had to ponder my blessings, they've mainly consisted in the people I've known. She is, as you say, "one hell of a girl".

Although I don't know you near well enough, I'd wager you and she are a bit alike. Takes one to know one when it comes to free spirits.

And you write a pretty good story too.

Thanks. But you give me too much credit, Christine. With Suzanne, the stories write themselves. I only have to remember what happened and then write it down.

 

[ChristineM]

I feel Suzanne is one of a very many people who have blessed my life. If I had to ponder my blessings, they've mainly consisted in the people I've known. She is, as you say, "one hell of a girl".

Although I don't know you near well enough, I'd wager you and she are a bit alike. Takes one to know one when it comes to free spirits.



Thanks. But you give me too much credit, Christine. With Suzanne, the stories write themselves. I only have to remember what happened and then write it down.

Maybe a bit alike but he degree of free spirit probably differs considerably. I am more one for stability.

Hey. Your words... Your memories...

 

[Sunstone]

For anyone who is interested, I just now posted a tenth story.

 

[Sunstone]

It suddenly occurred to me, "Why don't I post a photo of Suzanne?" And so I just now did.

 

[Sunstone]

That hiking story made me very excited I've never hiked before, let alone in the enchanting dark with the moon hanging. I have a big desire to do so one day. In rare instances I've walked with my family to places after dark, and its very beautiful. Especially when its dark but not terribly so and the clouds look like they are glowing. I think i'd quite benefit from seeing a sunset too

I'd love to hike a moonlit mountain trail with you, Terese. If we meet a mountain lion, you're just the right size to push out front while I run away.

 

[Sunstone]

I am more one for stability.

Same here. I don't enjoy moving around as much as Suzanne does.

 

[Sunstone]

Suzanne's life reads like sketches on the way to being a novel. I'm not sure I want to be her, but I loved reading about her.

I've been thinking about what you said, Sunrise. I have about a hundred stories of her. I don't think I have the skill to write a novel -- far from it. But ever since you mentioned it, the thought has been bouncing around my head that I might have the skill to write a series of sketches -- exactly like the ones in this thread. Then pull them together into book, and maybe publish them as a free or low priced ebook. My question is, do you think that might make for an interesting read? Or would it be too much -- too many stories?

 

[sun rise]

I've been thinking about what you said, Sunrise. I have about a hundred stories of her. I don't think I have the skill to write a novel -- far from it. But ever since you mentioned it, the thought has been bouncing around my head that I might have the skill to write a series of sketches -- exactly like the ones in this thread. Then pull them together into book, and maybe publish them as a free or low priced ebook. My question is, do you think that might make for an interesting read? Or would it be too much -- too many stories?

I think it would be fascinating to some. How big an audience "some" would be, I have no idea. But a series of sketches like you propose would to me bring in people who like to read short stories since the sketches could be read one at a time.

 

[Sunstone]

I think it would be fascinating to some. How big an audience "some" would be, I have no idea. But a series of sketches like you propose would to me bring in people who like to read short stories since the sketches could be read one at a time.

Thanks! That's very helpful.

 

[Sunstone]

There is now an eleventh story of Suzanne for anyone following this.

 

[Terese]

I really liked that new story That was quite the gamble you made deceiving that poor clerk, but a very smart jolt of inspiration

If i was in Suzanne's place we would have been kicked out! You can probably bet i would have been absentmindedly drooling instead of coming up with such wit

 

[Sunstone]

I really liked that new story That was quite the gamble you made deceiving that poor clerk, but a very smart jolt of inspiration

If i was in Suzanne's place we would have been kicked out! You can probably bet i would have been absentmindedly drooling instead of coming up with such wit

No, you're wrong -- you're plenty witty. If it had been you there, he would have sold us the place for a hundred dollars.

Seriously, Gomer was a very nice guy. He didn't have to do any of that.