Congratulations to "BS," the first person to correctly solve the riddle!!
"I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place. What am I?"
"BS," as the riddle's solver, you have free reign over this blog for one day -- including pictures, video feeds, dancing clip art, or whatever your heart desires. But use this power well. Both of my readers (Hi mom! Hi dad!) are very curious to see what you'll post ;)
Congratulations also to "PK," the First Runner Up! If you send me material in the next six months, I will post it too. The more voices we get going, the better.
(I've preserving your anonymity, since I've kept mine. Feel free to identify yourselves in your posts, if you wish!)
Thanks for all your answers!
***
Today, Jan 1, I took the idea of "fresh beginnings" literally and got in touch with someone I haven't spoken to in years.
Junior year in college, I spent my first summer in Rome. I worked three jobs -- as a tour guide of the Colosseum, as a waitress, and as an intern for an English language publication.
One of the editors of this company, a veteran of the industry, became a mentor who taught me so much about international correspondence, deadline writing, working in a professional context, the city of Rome, the best local cafes, how a youngster can make a mark in a dog eat dog world. I even dog sat for him. I looked up to his wife, too -- who was a fashion writer and always so gracious and kind with me.
He hired me back for two more summers, and both years brought unforgettable experiences. After I started grad school, we kept in touch, and he told me there's always a spot for me at that company if I want to move back. Every time I passed through Rome, they carved out an hour to have coffee or lunch.
Until one year, he stopped replying to my emails and didn't make it to lunch. I met with other people from the office, since it's a small place and we were all close -- but not him.
I've wondered if I did something wrong, said something wrong, since unless he's been reeeeeally busy, which is possible, I feel I he would never cut off contact for no good reason. Perhaps I seemed -- or was -- opportunistic, thoughtless, ungrateful. Perhaps I angled for another summer job, but forgot about the personal relationship. Or the opposite, maybe I talked too much about my life and not enough about work. I honestly don't remember any one thing I might have done, but I'd be sad to leave things like this.I sent him another email about two years ago, trying to nudge a reply, but that went unanswered. Today, I drafted a letter to both of them, saying I hope I haven't offended them and asking forgiveness in case I did. If nothing else, I hope it lets them know what an impact they had, and how much I cherished our relationship.
Gained: At best, a chance to make amends, an answer, a chance to reconnect. At worst, more silence.
