Hei Matau

A young man you don't know walks up to you. He starts talking quickly. You have inspired him, he says. You have stirred something in him, at a moment he needed it. You're late. He walks with you, talking quickly, searching, intimate, humble. He tells you his story. It's not far. You're there quickly. He's not nearly through, but he stops, respectful of your need to go. He steps close to you, fishing a pendant from inside his shirt. He bows his head, takes the cord from his neck, and places it around yours. He tells you what it means where he's from. How it's important. Why it is given. He says thank you for what you've done. And he walks away. In that moment, you hope you've earned it: the thanks, the gift, the lesson. *Hei Matau: traditional Maori (New Zealand) carving in the shape of a stylized fish-hook, worn as a pendant. ..