Moments of kindness...

Because that's what kindness is.  It's not doing something for someone else because they can't, but because you can.  
~ Andrew Iskander


There are precious little moments that bring tears to my eyes, a lump to my throat, and a great big smile to my heart.

I have quietly witnessed the kindness of others. And it is something that never ceases to floor me.

Several years ago, I was working at a coffee bar & smoke shop in Texas, two of my regulars, (lets call them the baker and the butterfly) who had never met before, were having a conversation. Over many shots of espresso and a few cigars, they talked. for hours. somewhere in this conversation, I saw a piece of paper pass from one to the other, and the recipient began to cry. Later I learned that the butterfly had given the baker a check so that he could go put four new tires on his car, which was so desperately in need of new tires he couldn't drive safely anymore without them. The butterfly didn't do it for applause, she simply wrote a check, and quietly slipped it to the baker.

Because she could. and he couldn't.

Several weeks ago, I walked past a homeless man (we'll call him Albert) who told me he could tell me the secret to quitting smoking. I smiled and said thanks. he continued talking, to no one in particular, kind of rambling and mumbling. as I stood there finishing my cigarette, a girl I know (we'll call her Samantha) drove by, stopped her car, spoke with the man for a moment, handed him a folded bill, and drove away. Later, I mentioned to Sam what I had seen, and told her it was the sweetest moment of kindness I had witnessed in a long time. She said: Albert has never asked me for money. I just felt like he could use a blessing today."

This past Saturday, I was working at the bar, and had stepped outside for a ciggie. The door to the salon next door opened and a stylist gently pushed a woman in a wheelchair to her waiting ride. It struck me as one of those above-and-beyond moments that people sometimes do for others.

Simple. Kind. Human. Love.

#66: what are some of the beautiful moments you've been lucky enough to witness?

So many places I'd like to see...

I have a wish list...

...well, I suppose everyone does.

but right now I'm talking about a very specific list in my list of wishes, wants, dreams, determinations...my travel wish list.

There are places I've wanted to go since I was a little girl, and places I've learned about over the years. Places I've never seen, but I ache for in my soul, like a vaguely remembered dream.

and truly, I've managed a few of them so far, but there is so much more I want to see!

I must see England, and Ireland, The Isle of Man, The Outer Hebrides, Patagonia, Australia, Montserrat, Africa, India, Russia, Germany! Savannah, GA, New Hampshire, Maine, The Carolinas, New York City, Boston, Nova Scotia. I want to see the Louvre and go to Southern Spain. I want to walk The Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

Google Earth has been my best friend for virtual "travels" until I am able to make the trips for real. I can "fly" to any city of my choosing. Browse coastlines and cities at my leisure.

Prompt #65: What is on your wish list? or, what places have you've been?

in a nutshell...

My mother used to write a column for several small-town newspapers, it was called "County Roads." (which she compiled a small smattering of for her collection Song of County Roads - published by Silver Boomer Books in September of 2009)

so...long story short, I remember one of her columns ended with a line like "that's me, in a nutshell...which is where I belong." I always loved that line. makes me giggle right out loud, even now, when I can't remember the rest of the article.

so (segue) I present you with my last 10 months...in a nutshell.

at the tail end of October 2010, I left Texas... (all photo credits: keg)

...went to Seattle until just after Christmas...

...off to Minot, North Dakota until mid-February...

...and made a permanent move to Louisville February 13, 2011...

so there you go...a brief little photo montage of my (almost) past year. I'm settled in, with two jobs, I'm writing some poetry again after a few long months of not quite enough motivation or inspiration, I'm moved in to a groovy apartment and things feel like they are calming down a bit, falling into place and adapting to a wonderful stride.


Prompt #64: describe or depict your life in a nutshell.

that's what friends are for...

I've probably mentioned this once or twice, but I just have to say it again, I have a lot of REALLY fantastic friends. 

I consider myself incredibly lucky that I have a veritable plethora of friends I've known for decades. People who I can pick up with right where we left off, whether just a few days ago, or a few years ago.

I realise this is a rare thing. I realise that some people have only one friend. or maybe two. but I have handfuls! handfuls! I'd hate to be without a single one of them.

It's not to say I've not lost precious people along the way. Life moves in patterns, but not all patterns are compatible.

so I've learned to let go when I have to, and appreciate the people who stick around.

Every person in my life is unique and amazing, talented...and so very precious. and I am so incredibly lucky to know these beings I call friend: these individuals who nourish my soul, laugh with me, let me cry on their shoulder, feed me when I forget to eat, cradle me in their hearts and show me undying, unending, unconditional love.

Yep. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.


Prompt #63: Describe your best friend(s) in five words. then write a piece using those five words.

Independently Happy...

It's been a long day...

of bugs, and dust and cleaning cleaning cleaning. frankly, it's been a long few days of moving and cleaning. I've just moved into an apartment after 6 long months of extended-stay motel living.

I had a mini-freak out over the bugs. I realise bugs have their place in this world...I just don't feel like bugs have their place in my home...ya know? but! said bug problem is being addressed, so I'm hoping to relax on that soon.

Today is July fourth. Independence Day. it's a big day for America. there are flags on every lawn, fireworks blasting and booming, and patriotism is abundant. Facebookers have posted many patriotic lyrics, tributes and praises.

it got me thinking about independence...personal independence, how each individual asserts their own, and what it means to each of us...

Prompt #62:    ... so today, write about independence. whether it is a tribute to America, United States soldiers, or your own rights of passage.

Happy Fourth of July!

in my next life...

I used to be a dancer.

I loved dancing. I still love dance. I ache a little when I see a performance; desire deeply to be on that stage.

If I had to state a regret, it would be this...that I gave up dancing.

There is a little part of me who would love to be seventeen again, thinking about going off to college...I would have taken that opportunity I shrugged off...applied to Cornish College of the Arts...danced my heart out...and maybe, just maybe, I would have landed it!

but.

I didn't do it. I didn't apply. I didn't try out. I didn't keep dancing.

and, oh...how I miss it!

Prompt #61: Write about the thing you've always wanted to do, but didn't.

be a painter...be a genius...

Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin to breathe. ~ Stephen King (On Writing)

How I love this quote. It stirs something deep within my soul; awakens a sleeping dragon of creativity.

It churns the same cauldron music does - amazing to me, how just a quote can bring such a sparkle to my psyche.

But maybe that's because he's Stephen King...genius of lyrical writing. He is a talented spider, weaving gruesome webs to entrap his readers. Even though the Horror genre is not my favourite thing, I appreciate his ability to wrap the reader in the soft silk of his writing (and not all he writes is creepy, screepy horror.)

Writing is a chance to paint a picture with words. 

Prompt# 60: find something to paint. use words to create a Monet, Van Gogh, Pollock. choose your subject and paint it.