the lightness of being

a young woman with whom i work and don't hate has given her notice. i hadn't seen her all week, but the change in her spirit was enormous. she looked rested, even though it was her 10th day straight, and was smiling and laughing in a genuine way. she's just out of school and comes from money, so feels no pressure to have a fall-back. her dad's dough is her default, lol. she was packing up her things while i was fielding a complaint over a plate of thoroughly consumed crab legs. bah.

i am happy for her she has latitude and isn't forced to continue to do something she hates. clean slate, "what will i be when i grow up?" ahem. being a grown-up can suck.

on the flip side, my favorite story in quite awhile is the brazilian priest who has floated into oblivion under 1000 helium balloons. his stunt was to raise money for a spiritual rest stop for truckers. he was experienced in jungle survival and in excellent health, had 5-days worth of water and lots of power bars, was in appropriate gear and had done a similar bit with 600 balloons not long ago. he had gps, a satellite phone and a floating chair. this wasn't some idiot hiking mt. washington in flip-flops being stranded in an april white-out.

a cluster of his balloons has been found at sea, with no sign of him. his parishioners say it's a test of faith. i say it's a very clever escape plan from penury, celibacy and old latin widows. how much does a helium tank go for these days?