Waiting for Kassie X: A Stumbling Upon Love... and the Angst and Pangs of Accepting Her on Her Terms

Imagine setting out on a journey of self-discovery with the idea of being alone and unknown. Then, imagine having a serendipitous encounter with someone who makes you feel more recognized than ever before and subsequently indirectly falling in love with that person. What does one do now with such an unexpected phenomenon? This is the challenge that awaited Kris as he set out backpacking through Canada to-at least for a moment-steer away from the land where popularity and likeness and having a job with a pension often overshadows substance and meaning. As Kris put it, "All my success and adulation, past or present that I've received, of it all, there was simply nothing I could hang my 'happy hat' on. It just didn't feel true anymore." So, with the intent of finally facing his destiny, the inevitable prerequisite of facing loneliness and solitude in order to "get the signal clear," Kris decides to travel into unfamiliar territory, during which he faces shocking realizations about himself. All of his hardships inevitably cycle back to a tireless effort to seek out that one special someone that he'd had his chance encounter with: Kassie. The problem is, he never got any contact information; not even a last name. Yes, the journey back to love can sometimes be direct and indirect simultaneously, while never really knowing the true target.