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I live across the street from a sorority house. There are about 6 girls living there, but on Monday, Tuesday, and occasional Thursday nights they multiply like fishes & loaves. One night they threw a party for over 100 other girls. Okay, maybe it was 50, but using ancient math, 50 nineteen-year-olds equals 100 regular people. They were all wearing the same outfit so I couldn’t tell them apart. I don’t know the name of this sorority, so I’ll just call them Alpha Kappa Clone. They’re all about 19, they’re all pretty, they all drive nice cars, their parents all drive nice cars, they’re all smart enough to attend UT, and they’re all selfish enough to throw giant parties on Monday nights when boring residents like me are trying to sleep.
I’m not a fan of these girls. I lay in bed listening to them have a great time in all their youthful glory while I plot undignified ways to disrupt their fun.
Tonight I was sitting on my terrace watching Jon Snow bounce around on the lawn below me. I’ve come to trust him on his own lately. He frolics on the grass, looking up at me from time to time. I’ve started to relax, letting him have fun without me being on top of him all the time. A few minutes slipped by as I got engrossed in my work when my phone rang. I picked it up and heard a girl’s voice: “Hi. We have your dog here. We’re in the house with the big columns.”
I know that house. That’s the Alpha Kappa Clone house. “I’ll be right over”, I said, grabbed the leash, and headed over. Not excited.
I rang the bell, and 2 young ladies came walking out with Jon Snow. He was his usual happy-go-lucky self, happy to see me, happy to be alive. He ran up and licked my hand, then turned back to the girls. One by one he licked everybody’s hands and rubbed against them. He bounced from person to person rubbing his nose on each one of us like a furry little whirling dervish. The girls told me they were in the alley that connects our properties when Jon ran over to greet their dog, a little dachshund. Jon made friends with the little dog, and then followed him into their yard. When they found him, he quickly endeared himself to them. He’s the Human Whisperer: he’s got the gift of turning everybody into a puddle of smiles.
Within minutes the girls & I were good friends. They weren’t in any rush to get rid of Jon Snow, so we stood around and chatted for a few minutes. They were delightful young ladies. Here’s the thing: they were always delightful young ladies, but I couldn’t see that through my story-making about them.
The word “guru” translates as “remover of darkness”. Jon Snow is an unpretentious guru. He spins some kind of magic that melts walls between people. More than anything, walls are made of stories. Every time I looked at those girls, I couldn’t see them. I saw my stories about them, and my stories created a wall. Jon Snow has no stories. As such, he has no walls getting between himself and others. He sees nothing but friends. He calls out friendship in everyone he meets. Thanks to him, I now have some really lovely neighbors across the way: Alpha Kappa Lovely.
Thanks Jon. #GuruPuppy
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
