9) I'm Not a Fighter, I'm a Creator

Spi awakened with the sun, stretching and greeting the morning as she opened her eyes. She retrieved her dress from the dryer then headed to the kitchen to see what she could rustle up. She was famished, having skipped dinner the night before. She was just starting to figure out the coffee maker when she heard the soft whoosh of the elevator door opening and in a moment Jonathan appeared with a paper grocery bag in his arms.

"Morning, Miss," he said, smiling.

"Call me Spi... Miss sounds so formal!" She made a wry face.

"As you wish, Miss," Jonathan quipped back with a twinkle in his eye.

He set down the grocery bag and got busy making coffee.

"It's a bit quirky," he remarked, saving her from the embarrassment of not being able to figure it out.

Then he got busy with breakfast. Eggs, bacon, avocado toast, delicious coffee with butter. Mmmmm...

She bade him to join her and he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"It's not customary," he said quietly.

"I'm not customary!" she laughed back. "You can do what you want when they get back from their honeymoon, but while I'm here, please, let's be informal. And NOT customary!"

"You got it," he agreed, and put more eggs on to fry.

They had a delightful breakfast, chatting about the city and the day ahead. They talked about food and he composed a grocery list. Then, as she was new to the city, he explained how to get around and where the best shopping spots were.

After breakfast, Jonathan got to work and Spi headed down to the street below. In the lobby she bumped into Richard Prescott, who was about to come up and see her.

"Pleasure to see you, Richard," Spi said brightly.

"Ah, Spi. Just the gal I was looking for. You can't be my muse if I can't get in touch with you." He winked and handed her a small shopping bag. Inside was a new phone with the phone number written on the box. "All set up and ready to go," he said. "Put my number on speed dial. There's a company credit card in the bag too. Use it at your leisure. Only the best for my muse!" With a wink and a laugh he turned around abruptly and was gone in a flash.

Spi shook her head as she put the phone in her pocket, said good morning to Alfie, and walked toward the street.

In a moment she realized she had forgotten Jonathan's directions and wasn't sure exactly where she was going, so she walked back up the steps between the lions to ask for help.

Alfie was more than happy to help, showing her how to use the maps app and putting Uber and Lyft on her phone. Then he helped her order her first ride, and she descended to the street to wait.

In just a few minutes, her ride appeared: a blonde girl in her early twenties with big earrings and a tie-dyed tank top. Spi hopped in the car and sank into the seat, looking forward to the day ahead.

The girl said her name was Nora and she was a college student doing gig work to help with expenses. The idea of gig work fascinated Spi, and she asked more about it. Nora looked at her strangely once she realized Spi had no idea what it even was.

"You not from around here?" Nora asked.

"No," answered Spi. "Where I come from we don't have this sort of thing. It's very interesting!"

"Weird," remarked Nora, and went on chattering about the ins and outs of the job as well as all the different types of gig work she did: ride share apps, grocery delivery, courier work, and lots of other things. It seems like a great way to meet people and make extra money on your own schedule, Spi thought.

As they wove in and out of traffic, the conversation turned toward Nora's education. She was a biology major, hoping to get into environmental science.

"I want to save the world," Nora said, suddenly serious. "I mean it. The planet is dying. The climate is collapsing. Someone has to fight back."

Spi was quiet for a moment. "Fight back against what?"

"Everything! Pollution, deforestation, carbon emissions, corporations that don't care..." Nora's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "It's overwhelming sometimes. But I can't just do nothing."

Spi turned in her seat so she could see Nora's face. "What if I told you there's another way?"

Nora glanced at her. "Like what?"

"Where I come from," Spi said slowly, "we understand that identity creates reality. If you see yourself as a fighter, you will always find something to fight. And the fight never ends. There's always another battle. Another enemy. Another reason to be angry and exhausted."

Nora frowned. "So you're saying don't fight?"

"I'm saying fighting is a reaction. Creation is an action." Spi's voice was gentle. "A person with the identity of steward doesn't spend energy hating pollution. They spend energy planting trees, cleaning rivers, designing better systems. They lead by example and their enthusiasm inspires others to follow in their footsteps.  They aren't fighting against anything. They're creating for something."

Nora was quiet for the next few blocks.

Spi continued. "Think about it. When you fight against climate change, who are you fighting? Corporations? Governments? People who disagree with you? That's a lot of enemies. And enemies fight back. But if you simply become someone who restores the earth - someone who nurtures, who builds, who teaches - then you're not in a war. You're in a garden."

Nora laughed, but it was a thoughtful laugh. "A garden. That sounds kind of... soft."

"Does it?" Spi smiled. "Tell that to the person who pulls invasive weeds for ten hours. That's not soft. That's focused. But they're not angry at the weeds. They just want the native plants to thrive."

They stopped at a red light. Nora stared straight ahead.

"I've been so angry," she said quietly. "For years. I thought anger was the fuel. Like, if I wasn't furious, I wasn't committed enough."

"Anger burns fast," Spi said. "But it burns out. Identity lasts. If you are someone who restores, you don't need to stay angry. You just need to stay you."

Nora turned to look at her. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Someone who's learning to be human," Spi said honestly. "And someone who believes that every person has the power to create the world they want. Not by fighting the old one, but by building the new one."

The light turned green. Nora drove.

"You just gave me a lot to think about," she said eventually.

"Good."

"I've been so focused on what I'm against. I've never really asked myself what I'm for."

Spi nodded. "That's a better question."

Nora pulled up to the corner of a busy street full of shops of all kinds. "Here we are.”

"Thanks! You've been wonderful." Spi reached for the door handle, then paused. "Nora? What are you for?"

Nora was silent for a long moment. Then she said, slowly, "I'm for clean rivers. I'm for forests that keep growing. I'm for kids growing up without being afraid of the weather."

Spi beamed. "There she is. That's your identity. Not fighter. Creator. Steward. Go be that person. The rest will follow."

Nora smiled. A real smile, not the tired one she'd worn earlier. "Thank you, Spi."

Spi stepped out of the car, waved, and watched Nora drive away. Then she turned toward the shops, already thinking about dresses and shoes and all the adventures still to come.

Another seed planted, she thought. This is going to be a good day.