"There is nothing better than being in the real space with real people"

The experience of being in a place with another person can transform you. It is the difference between coming home at the end of the day to a person who will share your stories and coming home at the end of the day and making a phone call to tell someone about your day. I admit that telephone, e-mail, or otherwise are helpful and can be so comforting in their own limited ways but, they never ever can replicate the experience of being in a real place (here's to Josh) with another person or communicate the expression of who we are and what we are truly living with another person.

The meeting place, the shared space, the common room, all of these things seem beautiful to me. I'm interested in what those meeting places are. We live in the generation of the "coffee shop", this is our shared space... for others it is the bar and it might be someplace else for others. Why is it that "space" is so important? We need more than digital reminders that someone is thinking of us. Or even pay checks that someone is providing for us (even though being provided for is important).

It is the transformation that happens when you let someone see and experience your tears and then, letting them embrace you. This is not easy. Even in the shared space we can feel alone or rejected. Nevertheless, I think it is much more worthwhile to enter into the common space and share the beauty of life with others than hiding away for fear of what 'might happen'. It makes us more careful and less selfish. Being in a place with another person can transform you.