today tasted like this....

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old
  
may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young
  
and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

~ e.e. cummings ~

Things I like...

I like the ritual of morning coffee, dirt roads in Africa, long distance phone calls, shiny things, cooking real food, picking up the post, dancing, sleeping naked, diners, sunlight on skin underwater, making out, Arizona turquoise, coast line blue, the sound of rain on rooftops, Italy, cooking for friends, the sea at sunset, music, family dinners, owls in trees, frost lined leaves, telling stories, Greece, balconies, bookstores, spremuta d’arancia, cut lemons, Capri, rivers, red rocks, fireflies, twilight, transatlantic/long flights, sunday mornings, first kisses, blue light of winter, curved lines, smooth pens, wine, henna tattoos, people who smile with their eyes, sashimi, wearing hoodies, airports, avocados, driving barefoot, espresso macchiato alla schiuma di latte, cherry blossoms, the way you feel the first few hours after an international flight, strong handshakes, people who look you in the eye, homemade things, Van Gogh, dresses and Doc Martens boots, hiking, handwritten letters, black and white photographs, Amsterdam, open spaces, using vocabulary to achieve full potential, secrets, road trips, flexibility of body and mind, badminton, telling the truth, dogs, hardwood floors, creativity, geraniums, full moons, winter with a wood stove burning, summer solstices, following inspired thought, smell libraries, being a woman, the aurora borealis, spontaneous travel, intuition, people watching from street cafes, re-use it re-cycle platforms, campfire conversation, not wearing a watch, being quiet in the morning, winks and strangers who smile at you, the library, real butter and 360 panoramic mountain views. *

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, that diminishes the fear."

Rosa Parks

Is that it?

Anybody who knows a recipe for stopping time, please hand it over to me. Not because this moment is perfect, it's just that every single coming second seems to bring something new and I've reached "new" saturation. And so for a short period of time, I will be taking life in very, very small steps. Learning to hold my balance again, walk again, smile again and rediscover this person lying dormant inside me, waiting patiently to live life again.

I've learned a lot of good things too. I've learned a lot about friendship and quite a bit about trust. I've learned that you can reach out to a person you've never met, seen or heard and establish a trusting relationship. I have a lot of you to thank, so thank you John, thank you Jonathan, Mary, Anthony, Marianne and all the people who reached out to me and offered unconditional support - no questions asked, no strings attached.

This seems to be stuck in my brain for the last few days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezSGqbuo0g