who could walk into your life, unexpectedly, and make your heart stop — race — take your breath away? be a catalyst?

have wondered this often

The thought occurs to me now and then, usually while I garden, and I immediately want to go in the house and write a snippet or a reminder but don’t. Today, as I picked up leaves and cleaned a garden bed, I answered the question — my question, not a character’s, and did not forget the answer.

so now i can write about it

the person could be

someone you miss, a friend from third grade, a relative, an ex-friend or ex-anything, someone with whom you’ve lost touch or on purpose avoid. someone you hate(d), someone you love(d). yet whoever it is will startle you —

make the ground disappear from under your feet type of thing

The driveway to our house is a steep incline, so it is easy for me to envision this, although I do not envision the person. Yes, vague and airy, but it happens, and

i always wonder:

will a character be that person or suddenly look up to find that person? And then forget, but not today. It is interesting that, because as I answered my question, I realized there are many people who could startle my heart. Whether that is a good thing or not, I don’t know. The deeper question, though, is:

what now?

So, I slow down and deepen my breath as I re-read the word catalyst. It is not exactly what I meant, even though if any of the people that could startle me appear, indeed, it would provoke something. But change? Or action?

perhaps

cat·​a·​lyst | ˈka-tə-ləst

a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change

a person or thing that precipitates an event

i know exactly who it will be for many of my characters and even what the characters would do.

but me?

to be continued, for sure, because a nagging little voice keeps whispering why?