Whom Would I Love to Meet?

The Dalai Lama was in Long Beach this past weekend. My dear neighbor and friend bought a ticket for me to attend his talk. On the day of the event, he had a sore throat and had to cancel. Later my friend, who had been a key volunteer in facilitating his stay in Long Beach, had been given a last-minute invitation to see the Dalai Lama for a group blessing. She either arrived too late or wasn't sure where to go, but in any event, she missed. out. As the Dalai Lama is to her like Jesus is to many Christians, this was a big disappointment.

All this made me wonder: Who would I feel bad about not meeting if the opportunity arose? I couldn't come up with anyone. Simply shaking hands or saying hello doesn't interest me. If, however, the person had time to have a good conversation over a cup of coffee, well, then I could think of a lot of people I'd like to chat with. But simply being in the same room holds little appeal.

When I gave the subject some more thought, I realized that the only being I would really hate to miss is an ET. That's right, if someone called me right now and said, "Heidi, hurry over to the football field. A huge flying saucer is going to land, and they want you to come on board and spend a few days," and I missed that opportunity, I'd really be bummed.