Bioluminescence

Two moments have run through my mind constantly the past few days as I grieve for Julie and all the people she has touched.

I remember so vividly spending Julie's 21st birthday with her. The two of us went out to dinner at Straits Cafe in Palo Alto, and I was a terrible influence and bought her a birthday shot. She obviously wasn't a drinker, (and neither am I), and it wasn't something she planned to do regularly, but I told her that it was her 21st birthday and even if it was only once in her life, she should do it.

We poured over the menu of exotic drinks, deciding on one to share. In the end she picked a "brown-eyed girl." It was a tiny, colorful, sickeningly sweet shot. It was such a funny memory watching her eyes pop out of her head before she even tried it! She laughed and laughed at how "bad" she was, and kept looking around like she was going to get in trouble while giggling her head off. It was only 7pm or so, and there were about 10 people in the bar area with us and they must have thought we were something else. It was like being 14 years old at a sleepover. I'm laughing just thinking about it now. The best part was she wouldn't stop talking about it for like six months!

The other vivid memory is when we went to the cove. Julie was always so obviously awed by nature and the power of the sea. In the presence of the ocean, it was as if Julie had a direct line to God. In my memory, it was a dark starry night, and there was a seasonal anomaly of phytoplankton or something that was glowing in the sand and in the waves; if you brushed your foot against the sand there was green glitter for just a moment where your foot had been. We felt as though we had made a magical discovery.

Julie ran across the sand into the darkness, dragging her feet, leaving a trail of green glitter behind her. Her long wavy locks flowed behind her and she leapt into the sea, right through the green, glassy wall of a wave a moment before it broke...glitter around the entry point as if she were a mermaid who jumped through a magical entry into a hidden world.

I was a mentor for Julie in some ways, since I was a few years older and we were both California High School Harriers. Our times together led to many deep talks about life, but it was evident early on that the student was really the teacher. Julie taught me so much about life. I admire her deeply, and will miss her so much.