You see, in my 9-5, I write code.
Three weeks ago, I stumbled onto something.
Lemme tell you about it.
……
I pull down the handle and push the door open to reveal what looks like heaven.
Not for any reason other than because it is so bright.
Floor-to-ceiling windows. White desks reflecting and further amplifying the light. The tables are arranged in a U shape.
I stand there studying the room, eager but blind (it’s freaking bright, remember?)
I make out fifteen evenly spaced seats. Each with a label per person, and some existential quote personalised underneath their name. I’m not among the 15.
I say an over excited greeting and walk to my designated position, tucked at the extreme back of the room.
Hidden even. I’m supposed to be invisible.
Clearly separated from the rest.
I’m just lucky to be here.
(How I got here is another story. Literally. Read My First Short Article – “Gamaliel’s Feet”)
Front and centre is a single lonely stool positioned in the middle of the U.
That is where the master will sit.
That will be His throne.
No we’re not back to the 1800s. It’s a masterclass so….
He walks in and takes his position.
We almost bow (Or was it just me? Oh okay).
He stands tall at 6’3”. Calm energy. Eloquent. Confident. But somehow also borderline shy if you’re keen.
The session kicks off. No fanfare. He’s not that type.
We soon get into the meat of it. That’s where the magic begins. (Vegetarians won’t understand)
And it continues non stop for the next couple of days.
While the instruction itself is enriching, it is the fifteen who inspire me the most.
Aspiring writers from different professions, ages, backgrounds. All carrying their own aspirations to enter and excel in this space.
To use words to create magic. To tell their own experiences of hope, pain, triumph and hopefully some good romance.
To tell the stories of others too, those who have lived the kind of lives that could fill libraries, but who lack the words to pen them down.
In that room, I feel more alive than I have felt in many, many, manyyyyyy days.
It’s a space with heart and soul.
A space with the raging pulse of human opinion, emotion, connection, hope, ambition, love, loss.
A space that’s alive.
And somewhere in the midst of it all, something in me ignites.
I want more of this.
More stories.
More people.
More feeling.
More of the side of life that cannot be reduced to ones and zeroes.
Maybe I can write something more than code.
Maybe I can write to tap back into my own humanity. Into the parts of me that feel most alive.
And if I’m lucky, what touches me will touch you too:)
This story also lives on Substack. Read it there ↗
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