B E B E R E

Had been listening to more in your face music lately: stuff like Fela, later Miles, Xenakis, Andriesson. Sometimes a girl just needs her outside environment to match the inside one, even if everything's all a-clatter. Homeostatis, you know?

Was sitting at my desk, minding my own business (I work in a high-traffic area among people who often treat my space as a conference area, so have really learned to shut things out), when something soft, a little earthy and a little bit ethereal wafted its way into my cube. Something from the past that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Karen - you playing something?"
"Yes. Too loud for you?"
"No, no, not at all. In fact, turn it up if you'd like. Sounds like Miles."
"You gave the tape to me, you ought to know."
"Kind of Blue?"
"You honestly don't remember? I asked for recommendations for my son for his birthday? You mentioned this? I turned out liking it so much that you gave me an extra copy that you had?"
"Oh, yeah, of course. Of course...thank you for playing it. I didn't know that anything in my world could flow like that."
"Ha!"

Am currently listening to it again: "All Blues," my favorite on the album (as if I could choose). I still can't get over having forgotten the music, the happy circumstances behind its discovery, that there are things in my life that can and do flow.