the one thing

the one thing that everybody wants is to be free,

to talk, to eat, to drink, to walk, to think,

to please, to wish, and to do it now if now is what they want

 and everybody knows it, they know it, anybody knows it,  

they do not want to feel imprisoned, 

they want to feel free, even if they are not free, they want to feel free,

 and they want to feel free now, 

let the future take care of itself, all they want is to be free.

--Wars I Have Seen, Gertrude Stein

 

 

 

 *     *     *

 

It was my birthday about a week and a half ago. Birthdays are usually a weird time for me. I never know how I'm going to feel on the day itself. Often, the thing I feel is kind of a mix somewhere between depressed and happy, but this year, maybe because of the pandemic and how all our gatherings are now virtual, it was actually easier to concentrate on the things I was supposed to concentrate on, instead of wasting time wondering whether or not I was having a 'good birthday'. And it was a good birthday, simple and easy, with a few presents from my loving family, cake and ice cream at dinner, and a little virtual group chat with my far away siblings. And, as always, there is much to be thankful for, for the year that passed despite the tumult of these current events taking place; and for the gift of yet another year. 

 

About these pencil drawings, I've been binge-watching a lot of BBC Masterpiece Theater so some of these faces are from tv characters, but there's a selfie in there, and one of David Gilmour too, because, well, why not? They say it's always best if you don't know the person, because if it doesn't look like them, they won't mind or protest too much so if by chance you see yourself here, please forgive the amateur attempts :)). Anyway, I just want to say thank you, dear friends, for your company through the last year, and for your friendship into the next. xx

Let It Find Us

 

i cannot tell you how the light comes

what i know is that it is more ancient than imagining

that it travels across an astounding expanse to reach us

that it loves searching out what is hidden

what is lost, what is forgotten

what is in peril or in pain

that is has a fondness for the body

for finding its way toward flesh

for tracing the edges of form

for shining forth through the eye

the hand

the heart

I cannot tell you how the light comes but that it does,

that it will

that it works its way into the deepest dark that enfolds you

though it may seem long ages in coming

or arrive in a shape you did not foresee

And so, may we this day turn ourselves toward it

May we lift our faces and let it find us

May we bend our bodies and follow the arc it makes

may we open and open more

and open still

to the blessed light that comes.

--How the Light Comes, Jan Richardson

*photos from Paris, France, April 2019

*these are some of the Paris street photos I took on holiday--Paris is so "much of a muchness", to quote good ol' Alice while she was exploring Wonderland, that it's not easy to absorb and capture all the beauty and splendor, no matter how many times you return. A big thank you to my friend Arnaud for taking us on a magical walk through the hidden parts of Paris, and for the lovely time we shared over drinks --after so many years of visiting and commenting on each other's blogs, meeting in person felt so much like meeting an old and familiar friend--i hope to meet again and, maybe someday to meet all my blog friends :)) p.s. click on the photos to enlarge them.