A brief moment of rationality from the bird place.
Back in the 90s, there was a story in the LA Times that a boy sent me, saying it was right up my alley. This was the only good thing to come out of our relationship. Full link below (ignore the bible tag; it's the only site I could find it on), but this part always stuck with me:
"Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends.' "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now."
Over the years, remembering this story has made me braver. That's led to all my good adventures, even the ones that ended is disaster.
Some day is today. Book a flight. Ask someone out. Make your art. See a play. Drink the good coffee/wine. Order dessert first. Connect with people, no holds barred. Life is too short for anything other than an unfettered yes. Care fiercely. Love wildly.
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. T
**walks back into the room like Columbo**
And another thing!
This quote from Ted Hughes, in a letter to his son, Nicholas:
“The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all.”
He's right. And that's been something I have carried around for years, too. Hughes is one of my favorites. (I have his book of collected letters, and it's incredible.)
Invest your heart. <3
