A Gentle Reminder

I was finishing up a treatment session last week with an adorable little boy when he whispered into my ear, "Can I give you a hug?" His simple, innocent question silenced me for a moment. I made him wait it out until all the puzzle pieces were put away. And then, with a huge smile on his face, I let him wrap his arms tightly around my waist.

A switch was flipped. Love. Love unabashedly... unapologetically. Give love. Daily. Show love, without expecting it in return. This is the way to live. Because this is still inside of me. And because this is the way I always want to be.

Which reminds me of a line from an Indigo Girls' song, "...and I bought you that ring 'cause I never was cool..."

Stay uncool. Always.

Denver or Bust

Three girls.


Three pretty girls.


Three pretty crazy girls--together in Denver.


For really no other reason than to check out Denver.


Minimal planning and no set agenda.


The only way to travel.


Make that the BEST way to travel.


I love Denver.


And I love my girls :)

When Did I?

When did I stop wearing purple? When did I stop really listening to the lyrics of music? When did I become impatient? When did I start to believe that someone else was more capable and more destined for success than myself? When did I stop sleeping in on the weekends? When did I stop reading classic literature? (Okay, I haven't read THAT many classic books). When did I stop watching documentaries? When did I forget that I loved to paint? When did I forget about myself?

Somewhere between 'I love you' and 'I do.'

Words

I have a love affair with words. Spoken or written (although I think I prefer the later). I enjoy thumbing through dictionaries. I play the online word jumble. And my idea of a perfect evening includes friends, red wine, and Scrabble. I've always had words that I prefer. Words that console...heal...teach...unite. Words that have stopped my breath and broken my heart. And words that mark a moment in time. For now, my top five individual words (excluding proper nouns) include:

1. Heart (life. love. breath. will. power. courage. forgiveness.).
2. Audacious (and all of its relatives: audacity, audaciously, audaciousness...).
3. Fuck (but not in its traditional sense. more in the, "fuck it. just go for it.").
4. Gumption (fun to say. a long time fav. if you don't have any...not interested.).
5. Intuition (trust it. and slow down long enough to listen to it.).

Runner up:
1. Jackass (a close--albeit a far more frequently observed--cousin to smartass.).

A Brutus Tattoo

I am his mom, so I know I am biased...but isn't he sooo handsome?! If I were forced to get a tattoo (which would be very strange), I'd have his portrait adorned somewhere on my body. He's just that awesome :) Can't think of anything else I'd want. It's for forever, after all.

Comfort

A familiar voice on the other end of the phone--at 3:30 am. A Bostonite in Texas. A car ride home. An impromptu trip to Vegas (complete with a $375 win at Texas Hold 'em and a 97 on an ethics exam the very next day). A necklace. A book of poems. A father asleep on a living room floor. Mixed cds. A lesson in red wines. A long run with girlfriends. A tail wagging and a tongue licking. A place to move.

And music.

Matt Nathanson, Come On Get Higher:
If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
I'd make you believe
I'd make you forget.

Jack Johnson, Better Together:
Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart
Why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard?

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah:
and even though it all went wrong,
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
with nothing on my lips but Hallelujah!

Jack Johnson, Breakdown:
You can't stop wishing if you don't let go
Of the things that you find and you lose and you know
You keep on rolling, put the moment on hold
Because the frame's too bright, so put the blinds down low.

Bruce Springsteen, Brilliant Disguise:
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of.

Why Do I Run?

To breathe deeply. To work through anger. To honor a friend. To surprise myself. To feel my strength. To remember my strength. To believe in my strength.

Years ago, I was an athlete. Running reminds me of this. I remember how to fight, how to struggle, how to pace, and how to persevere. More importantly, I remember what I am made of.