Open a Vein and Bleed

Well, I am all packed and ready to go which means two things: I woke up too early and I could have had more champagne last night.  I just thought it would have taken so much more time, this packaging up a week of life to go somewhere, elsewhere. 

It can be difficult to know what to pack when you don't really know what to expect.  I registered for this writing course on a whim, telling myself "Just do it....Why not?".  When your heart makes you take a leap and not your head, when that's all you're used to, it can be hard to reconcile. 

But away I go.  I haven't carried this much on my back since I traveled Europe in 1997.  And yet, this time is not much different than then.  Oh sure, I have more fine lines (a girl's way of saying "wrinkles") and gray hairs now, but there is an air of hope and adventure and excitement that is similar.  I went to Europe all those years ago with the intent to absorb, to be a sponge and a student.  This week, I don't even have to leave the state to do the same thing.

The only way to shake things up is to break out of your comfort zone.  I feel kind of like that kid on the first day of attending a new school, nervous and curious, intimidated and shy; a little bit like I don't belong and they all do.  And after all, I am just a hack blogger who maybe, someday, will write her first book.  Then there's the other side of me that says, "Fuck yeah, let's do this!" 

"There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter, open a vein and bleed." -Red Smith

Inspiration and creativity come from within, all one needs is a conduit.  Let's do this.

Susana

On the Occasion of her 40th Birthday....

Twenty years.  That's how long Sue and I have been friends.  That's half of our lives.  A true Renaissance woman, Sue seems to have the golden touch in everything she does: teaching, cooking, art, photography, fashion - all of that, and she's beautiful, too.  But I think it's her core values that are her biggest achievement.  She is a hub of reason and stillness, somehow making sense of this often crazy world we live in.  She is daring and courageous, brilliant and funny, kind and sensitive, honest and loving.  All the characteristics I admire in a human. 

Over these twenty years, we've shared too-many-to-count wine induced cries, infinite laughter, philosophical talks on just about everything, analytical discussions on the men in our lives, and many a delicious meal together, mostly a result of her impressive culinary talents.  On occasion, we have even gotten ourselves into trouble...savory-spicy moments that only we know about.  Alas, some stories are too good to tell.  From the mundane to the esoteric, Sue can talk about anything and, by the end of the conversation, have you believing it and loving it - whatever "it" is.  I sometimes crave her company, like a bold and juicy Napa wine, and with the first sip, the flavor is rich and surprising and always satisfying.  She keeps on getting better.

Oh sure, we've had our small share of disagreements - how could two strong minded women not?   But those caveats have become the very foundation that shores up our growing tower of support and love for each other.  Women distinguish themselves from men in this way.

I love her infinitely: For the woman she has been, for the woman she is today, and for the woman she is still yet to become.  For all the ways she celebrates each moment of life and for her deep insight that I sometimes lack.  She so often shows me the way.  I occasionally wonder how and why she puts up with my quirks and sometimes naïve questioning of the world and the people in it.  But like ying and yang, I realize we just fit and then I stop wondering.  Some friendships are not deserving of  dissection. 

Khalil Gibran said, "In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.  For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."

Happy Birthday, my friend.

Cheers.