A Couple of Questions For Ralph

 

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           Millicent Kelly was sitting in her office up on the third floor of her building, where she had
a really good view of the bay. It’s only about four blocks away, so she can let her mind wander, watching the boats come and go, and the heavier traffic out further in the deeper water. 
            There are mostly pleasure craft, but once in a while she will see a working fisherman’s boat, and for some reason this pleases her. It seems so legit.
            On her screen are several questions sent in by readers of her column. Most people who encounter her writing assume that it’s fictional and let it go at that. But sometimes, there is a reader with more imagination who can really get into what she is reporting.
            Millicent pulls no punches. If she sees it, she will say it.
1.      A reader from Edmonds, a bit south of Milltown, an instructor at the local community college wonders if she would ask Ralph what he thinks is the most problematic semi-hidden problem that humans have, but don’t take seriously.
2.      A young guy running a small business of his own helping elderly clients with chores they can no longer perform for themselves, asks if she would ask Ralph what he does with discouragement.
3.      A child, about 8 years old, girl, from Mt. Vernon, just up the freeway a bit, wonders if she could come with Millicent some time and meet Ralph and Ramona, and Twigg and Cherry and of course the cats too.
            Millicent is really thinking about this last one.  She thinks that it would make a charming story, if she could pull it off somehow. The little girl has left a phone number, so Millicent can talk to her mom and get permission.
            Now, as it happens, Maeve checked in with Millicent most mornings, on her rounds, to see if Millicent needs to send a message to Ralph.
            So, when Maeve landed on the window ledge and pecked on the glass a few times, Millicent opened the window and told her yes she would like to let Ralph know that she was coming up to do an informal interview and might have a child with her.
            Maeve knew her duty and she blasted off for the Great Forest. Not a long trip for her with her powerful wingbeats.
            Millicent was a little bit hesitant about calling this woman and asking permission to take her young daughter for an outing in the woods. She thought it might seems strange. But she thought she would try anyhow.
            Millicent thought that her relative local fame might clear the path with this mom. So, call her she did.                 When the woman found out that her daughter had requested it, and so on and so forth, she said, “sure,” and sounded really pleased. It turned out that mom, Sheila, was a Sasquatch “true believer.” So, the trip was a go! Arrangements were made to pick up the child, Lizzy, on Saturday, early.
            Millicent stayed in her office, writing up stories that she had notes for, all day Friday. When she got home she and Colin got her little Passat ready with supplies for the trip to the mountains. She liked to bring treats for Ralph’s family and himself when she went up to visit them.
            She drove up to Mt. Vernon and met Sheila and Lizzy. It turned out that not only was Sheila a true believer, she was a member of the Suquamish tribe, but didn’t live out there. Lizzy was a bright eyed little black haired and brown eyed American Indian girl. Lizzy was also a talker. That made it nice for Millicent. She didn’t have to entertain the child. She just had to sit back and let the kid chat on about this and that and ask questions.
It made the drive up to Ralph’s domain go quickly and pleasantly.
            It was a beautiful day. Cool, breezy and sunny. Before they knew it they were at the wide spot on the verge of the highway.
            By now, Millicent didn’t need a guide to find the Home Clearing. I don’t really know if there was any special knowledge involved, or if maybe Millicent was just an honorary member of the family up there.
            Millicent brought dark chocolate, potato chips, pop rocks, and a big can of salted and roasted Virginia peanuts. She always brought a lot. She also had some espresso coffee beans coated with chocolate, for the adults, well actually, Ramona and Thaga.
            Millicent led Lizzy into the woods and down the path to meet the family. Lizzy was so excited that she couldn’t even talk!

            It was usually quite an experience for anyone new to the place. It was dreamlike, but real too. Lizzy became shy, walking just a bit behind Millicent.
            “Say, hi Milly! Who is this,” said Ralph from his seat by the fire, though he was not surprised to see her.
            “Well, this is Lizzy, who wanted to meet you all,” said Millicent. ‘ 
            “Hello, Ralph,” said Lizzy. “I knew you were real!”
            “Yes. That is very wise of you, Lizzy,” They grinned at each other.
            Twigg came and was introduced to Lizzy.
            She met Ramona and Cherry.
            Berry and Bob came and smiled at her and let her pet them.
            Then Millicent got down to business.
“Ralph, I have a reader who has asked me to ask you, as an observer of the common run of humanity, us Hairless as you say, what you think is the biggest thing people have trouble with.” She was ready with her notebook and pen.
            “As you know Milly, I do end up hearing a lot of people talking when they don’t, um, know I’m around,” said Ralph, “and you know what I think? This might sound obvious, but I don’t think it is.
            “I think people cause themselves a lot of grief by the ways they try to deal with their emotions. Emotions seem to be such a whip! Sometimes emotions completely rule people. Sometimes people try to deaden the sensations of emotional weather.
            “I don’t think either way works.”
            “What shall I tell this person, Ralph?” said Millicent.
            “Ah, tell her or him, that emotions are just like weather. They come and they go. Just wait a while and it will change. Don’t take it too seriously. Think about something good, outside yourself or go help somebody. You know, stuff like that.”
            “I hope they take your answer seriously, Ralph. Goodness knows, your approach to life is pretty Zen, eh?” laughed Millicent. “I will write it up tomorrow.”
            “So, how about this kid with the helping grammas business who is asking about discouragement?”
            “The best thing I can think of off the top of my head, which is pretty far up there, you must admit, it to talk to himself out loud. Tell him to make courageous affirmations to himself in his audible voice. It just works better than thinking and keeping it all in your noggin. Tell him to say out loud what he wants to see in himself and get done.
            “It sounds dumb, but it works,” said Ralph, who does talk to himself when he needs to. It helps him clarify his own thoughts.
            “Praying works better if you say it too,” said Ramona, who was sitting by, listening and watching Lizzy and Twigg get to know each other. Cherry was still a little small to keep up, but Berry and Bob were following along just fine.
            “This has given me quite a bit to work with,” said Millicent to them both. “Thank you. Oh, I forgot. I bought you a couple of things for you and the kids, just some treats. They slipped my mind!”
            “I’d hang around longer, but I told Sheila, her mom, that we would only be a few hours, so I better take her back. She will remember this forever. I’ll talk to her about protecting special knowledge. I think she will understand,” said Millicent.
            “I think she will,” said Ralph. “I know a special kid when I see one.”
            “I believe so, too,” said Ramona.
            So, Lizzy hugged Ramona, and Twigg and Cherry and the cats, then she shook Ralph’s hand with her little brown hand, saying, “I knew you were real! And I won’t tell anyone but mommy who knows you are real too!”
            Then Millicent drove her back to her mother in Mt. Vernon. By the time they got to Sheila, Lizzy was sound asleep. 
            And as the sun was setting, she drove on home thinking about the day and being pretty pleased with it.  There was a lot of material there for several good columns!