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April 29, Palo Alto, CA: On the way to dinner, I met Gilbert Marosi. He saw me lurking in the dark corner of a covered entryway. I was trying to capture a woman with a shopping cart full of what looked like her belongings...but having a conversation on an iPhone 3G. Gilbert was way more interesting than the image. He is a painter and his work is fantastic ( http://www.gilbertmarosi.com). Gilbert has been a professional artist for only ten years. I asked him what he did before that. Engineer. I smiled. It was so encouraging to hear. There really is nothing new. Sometimes I feel like I am experiencing or struggling with my goals, my life, my challenges alone. But there are others who are on the same path. That also feel alone. Meeting Gilbert was a reminder of that. He made the transition from engineer to artist and finding that out really inspired me.
That encounter was fresh on my mind as I talked with a friend about their relationship challenges. Her situation sounded familiar to me, but I am not sure that sharing that point of view was very helpful. I bet a lot of people have had the experience of seeing someone else's life with clarity but having completely botched the same issue in their own lives. That's how I felt tonight. And sometimes saying, "I know exactly how you feel" isn't such a good thing. But I hope that she knows that I will be there to listen when she needs to talk about it.
