[Bluto]

The other day I was thinking about some of my exes, specifically a couple of the briefer affairs from 15, 20, even 25 years ago. My dramatic and ultimately tortured involvement with them changed me and the course of my life. I began thinking of friends who have fallen out of my life. I thought about someone who I had the most painful unrequited, years long crush on in my 30s, who nobody has ever measured up to since, and probably never will. I thought of my nan who died 13 years ago. We didn't really get along, but if she were alive now then I'd love her much more than I did when I was younger and more selfish. I thought of my best friend at school, who I've briefly seen once or twice in the 30 years since leaving school, who still comes into my dreams when I'm asleep, as if we're both teenagers again. I liked him a lot and have many happy memories getting upto mischief. I thought of many people from my life who had an effect, or who I was connected with in some meaningful way, all of who have either died, or disappeared.

I then thought how lovely it would be if, when when my body dies, I could meet them all again, on the astral plane, or spirit world, or whatever it is, however it is. The desire from my side is certainly there. I'm not sure if desire to meet is required from both parties once our bodies die.

Which is why I'm interested in peoples opinions on whether we can and do meet people who, though not our most loved ones, though might not have been the ones we are or were most entangled with, we meet them again, somehow, somewhere. There are a few people who, were it not for meeting them, would have meant an entirely different path for me. So in effect they indirectly, but profoundly shaped me, unbeknown to them. This makes them important in my opinion, and I am curious about whether we see them again. And I don't mean in a life review, but an actual conscious meeting of two distinct, agentic, conscious, non-physical entities, who are entirely aware of each other and of the meeting.

This is not about our partners, children, parents, grandparents, lifelong best friend, etc. It's about lost friends, old work colleagues, past crushes and flings, strangers that helped you one time in a moment of need, who you never saw again, but you always remembered, old house-mates you used to drink with and watch films but parted ways when life changed direction, and you wished you'd stayed in touch, a kind neighbour from your childhood who you last saw when you were 10 years old etc, etc.