It was meant to be...As my summer break begins some may think that the content of this blog will drift in and out of a range of topics. Those of you that dabble with reading my thoughts already know that the content varies...based on where my mind happens to be when I sit down to write.When I sit down...to write.If anything, I want all of the writing on this blog to reveal the complicated nature of cultivating mental silence and if the writing helps you in any way do the same...I am humbled!As I state earlier...I'm on summer break. And...I started this particular break in style...going to a great concert Friday night with a very good friend and his very good friend. The common thread between the three of us...we share a love for the music and performers of this music. It had been years since I'd seen my friend's friend and I felt a bit "odd" going with them. I did not want to interfere with their enjoyment of the concert. NOTE: I know that the last sentence reveals some severe issues I have with my-self. Like I said, this blog is a space for me to shed light on the complicated nature of cultivating mental silence.Funny thing about my friend...he has an amazing ability to attract such kind and eclectic people to his own circle of friends. His friend, upon my arrival, made me feel very welcome and treated the span of time we'd not seen each other as if it were mere days...making our reacquaintance with each other seem as though two good friends were briefly catching up with each other.That initial conversation laid the foundation for what was to become an amazing evening between he and I. From my recognizing the genre of music implicitly evoked from a bumpersticker on his car...to us basically figuring out that we listened to the same music growing up...to stories about how each of us has handled the complexities of scholarly pursuits sought out and obtained within our families...specifically...the impact these pursuits had on each of us...coming full circle back to...of course...our reactions to that which brought us together...the amazing music we witnessed at the concert.In the span of one evening...my friend (who I care for greatly) and our passion for music enabled me to cultivate more than mental silence...each helped me start what I hope will become a friendship with someone who himself admitted that our reacquaintance was "meant to be."