I was walking my friend's dog down a dark gravel road last month when I suddenly slipped up and out of my life as though I were accidentally stepping out of a slip-on shoe. I hovered over myself and the dog, two warm bodies moving around in the chilly night. My skinny shoulders inside my bulky coat were not mine, the road was not mine, the air was not mine. My family, who was at home several miles down the road, was not really mine.
In that place where I hovered, I could feel jovial male presence that reminded me of the stories I have heard about St. Francis of Assisi. I felt warm, calm, and well accompanied, and a sense of joy spread through me as I realized that some day I will slip out of my life for good and keep walking.
Soon, I slipped back down into my beloved and familiar life, but I have been savoring the experience for weeks now. It felt like complete faithfulness.
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