vacuuming the library carpet

I had a funny synchronicity this morning, or maybe a funny psychic flash. I was chatting with a friend I met on facebook. She is a lot younger than I am and has been dealing with some very challenging personal experiences. There is emotional stuff that is intertwined with serious health concerns.

She reminds me a lot of myself when I was that age. I went thru my own challenging emotional stuff, so my heart goes out to her.

Here is a (slightly edited) excerpt of our chat session. Mary is a pseudonym.

Mary: I just freak myself out - I feel so emotional that I can barely carry out simple tasks, let alone FIND A JOB and SUPPORT MYSELF.

Mike: You are a beautiful writer! I really and truly mean that! -And don't you dare repeat that stuff about FINDING A JOB and SUPPORTING YOURSELF!

Mary: But Mike... don't I need to able to live somewhere and be able to buy food?

Mike: Yes - but you can do anything. You can get money doing ANY kind of work. You can go in at night and vacuum the carpet at a library - and live in a tiny little dump of a house.

(This was odd, when I was typing I wanted to paint a picture of a calm and beneficial job. The imagery of someone vacuuming carpet at night in a library just popped into my mind. It seemed so peaceful and pleasant, all alone surrounded by books.)

Mary: Hm. I actually grew up vacuuming the carpet in a library. No lie. My dad was a janitor and he cleaned the library. Me and my brother would work with him in the middle of the night.

Mike: HA! Really?!?!?

Mary: Yes, I have many memories of vacuuming the library carpet.

Mike: That is funny - I was trying to pick the perfect job as an example - and that appeared very clearly in my mind.

Mary: Ha ha ha! You couldn't have chosen a better example!

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