My morning began as many of my mornings normally do, by getting up and using the restroom. But today, as I went through my morning deeds, there was a skip in my step and an excitement burrowing down beneath my consciousness. Why, you ask? Well, even if you didn't ask, I will tell you. It was because of the plans a friend of mine (Oliver) and I had made yesterday to spend time together in Downtown Riverside. Plans we had made for today and plans we were both excited for.
Oliver and I had met in school during winter semester in college, when we had sat next to each other in Geology. There, we developed a close bond as we joked, talked, learned, and helped each other throughout the class. We learned we had a lot in common, besides our enrollment in Geology, and found more things to talk about. We also delved deeper into each other's personal lives, learning more about one another and what our pasts would have been like. I learned that Oliver was a very talented artist and I would often get sidetracked in class as I watched him doodle. Even his doodles had a talent and precision that made my own look like elementary school drawings. But alas, our time eventually ended in February 2009 and we were sent our separate ways.
We did not see each other again, but stayed in brief contact. It was sometime in March that Oliver and I began talking via MySpace. I convinced him to join Twitter, as I am never on MySpace and did not like signing on, but did want to catch up and rekindle our friendship. He joined and quickly became obsessed with Twitter. It was through Twitter that our friendship bloomed again and plans were made to wreak havoc as we once had.
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I arrived in Downtown Riverside at the time Oliver and I had spoke of (1ish). I found my way to the coffee shop he had told me to meet him at. I knew he would be late. He had texted me telling me he would be. I understood. Life gets difficult at the oddest times. So, I waited. As I waited, I took in the beauty and almost quaintness of Downtown Riverside. I felt almost at home amongst the buildings and scenery around me. How it defined the community, a place where old and new came together in an artistic harmony. It was a pleasant to place to wait. I had been waiting for exactly a hour before Oliver showed up and the hugs (and salutations) ensued. We commented on each others' looks (He had changed his hair and I had lost weight) and decided to get some tea before going outside to find a seat. Once we had done just that, we caught up.
Oliver told me all about his classes and how boring or mundane they were. He told me about his new job as a volunteer for Riverside's LGBT community (where he answers the phone, gives advice, and helps plan events for the homosexual community) and his new crush (an Asian male who coincidentally worked at the coffee shop we were sitting outside of). He told me about how he hoped to be the next generation of Harvey Milk and how inspired he felt by the life of that man. And I felt inspired as well by his intensity and focus on his goal. Never before had I known Oliver as an ambitious young man who was so willing to change the world around him. Before, in our brief moments in Geology class, we had never had enough time to go into really in depth conversations. I really wish we had. He spoke to me of a 'Gay Pride Day' happening later the year in Riverside, where he thought of having a marriage booth and spoke highly of the performances that would be performing at the event. Apparently, last year they had RuPaul performing and this year, they are trying to get Depeche Mode. Oliver claimed Depeche Mode to be more of a pipe dream than anything else. He spoke to me of the sense of pride and happiness he got out of helping people struggling with their homosexuality. He spoke to me of all the interesting souls he was meeting through his line of work. And I was happy to know him, to see the true Oliver and be proud of all he was doing for his community.
Oliver recalled for me everything that had happened in our days apart from one another and showed me pictures of things he thought I would find hilarious or that reminded him of me. One example was a picture of a small brown cow. He claimed it reminded him of me because I'm a vegetarian (as he once was as well) and don't eat meat. I felt touched he thought about me and emitted a small 'awww' followed by a warm embrace. He then asked about me. I spilled every detail of my life since we had last seen each other to him. Compared to what he'd done and his life, my life had seemed so mundane and simple. I wasn't helping people with problems on a daily basis. I wasn't working to help a political and civil right movement. But as I sit and think, I realize I am doing great things everyday. Though it's not to the same magnitude as Oliver's achievements, I do help children with problems they bring to my attention to the best of my abilities, while also helping them become the best dancers they can be. I also help my parents with my handicapped brother (and have become his caretaker and a large part of his life), attend college as a History major (to be a History teacher), and volunteer as a coach for a disabled baseball team. All of these impressed Oliver, though he thinks I should write rather than teach. He says I have a 'writer's mind'.
Once we were caught up, Oliver and I began our adventure through Downtown Riverside. We visited his work, which was a nice building in a seedy neighborhood that was also shared with a Planned Parenthood group. We walked along several main streets and talked about everything from the community to politics. Eventually, we stumbled upon a sex accessories store, properly named Le Sex Shoppe, where we went inside and joked about all we saw. I still smell of latex and rubber, a smell that shop wreaked of. But the experience was definitely worth the smell. Every smile and giggle made every eye-burning object we happened to see completely worth it.
When we were finished there, we continued walking to the Mission Inn. We went all the way to the top of the mission and found every courtyard, every garden, and every staircase we could. We took photographs all along the way. We continued to joke. We continued to enjoy ourselves. We took in the beauty of the mission and it's architecture. We made sly comments about smells, while still enamored by them and how they added to the wonderful beauty around us. We were close friends once again and it was perfect.
Later, we returned to the coffee shop and ate. He went on to show me his complete portfolio of artwork, beat me at chess, and take more pictures before we decided to part ways. We knew we had to stop eventually anyways. With one hug, I was on my way back home, left to reflect on my day.
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And what was the outcome of my reflection? Nothing insightful. Nothing that would make Plato nod in agreement. Nothing that would be make me seem deep to any reader. Why? Because today was shallow fun.
I can reflect on who Oliver seems to be becoming though. He's living his inspirations. He's grabbing for Harvey Milk's robes rather than just watching them from a distance. And that's why I am inspired by him.
He's becoming a hero to those like him, struggling with who they are and who society is telling them to be. And that's why I am inspired by him. He reminds me of Martin Luther King Jr. and I wonder how many others are just like him. Or how many others could use someone like him. One thing is for sure, he's a hero.
As for the day, altogether, it was all shallow fun. We laughed, we walked, we talked, we linked arms, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Today is just another fond memory that I will hope to remember forever.
Photos from today can be found at my Flickr account:
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