Cracked Window

“Literature is written on her body — 597 words of love and passion.”

That’s how I described Tasia Bernie in a story I wrote for The Oregonian last month. I first met Tasia at the gym where we both work out. I asked her about the tattooed words circling her body like a vine, which led to interviews and eventually the story.

Since then we’ve had several brief amiable chats, usually while passing in the gym in the midst of workouts. A writer and fitness trainer, Tasia has achieved a level of strength and agility that I admire — one beyond my reach.

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One definition of serendipity is “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.” I don’t know whether I have such an aptitude, but I am a keen and curious observer.

Does this characteristic stem from many years in journalism, or did it lead me to that career? All that matters, I suppose, is this: I like noticing something or somebody that invites inquiry and having that inquiry lead somewhere unexpected.

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