one of my daughter’s long-legged black cats
who i collectively refer to as ‘the nathans,’
enjoying a swing.
as of this posting,
he has never expressed a desire to be a dancer.
—
“just because you have long legs doesn’t mean you’ll be happy as a rockette.”
– nicholas lore
grandies
jump in.
get dirty.
fall down.
and
reach again
even higher.
“jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty,
fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars.”
-ben stein
clouds light the sky on an early evening walk
—
“may the clouds give your shapes inspiration.”
-anthony t. hincks
—
downtown ann arbor, mi, august 2018
i went to the u of m dermo clinic
for my annual skin checkup
and remembered
just how thorough they were
when 3 different docs
checked me out.
the first one asked,
“did you know that you have some glitter stuck to your back?’
the second one asked,
“how did you get glitter in your hair?”
and finally, the third, the resident doc asked,
“did you know that you have glitter on your feet?”
i think they all imagined that i’d been to a wild party
or secretly am a dancer as my second job
i really couldn’t attribute it to working with the kinders
now that it’s summer break.
i told all of them that i wasn’t really surprised
that it’s always on me somewhere
thanked them for letting me know
and for another clean bill of health.
i think it lightened things up a bit in their clinic.
—
“i must bridge the gap
between adolescent glitter and mature glow.”
-sylvia plath
—
image credit: instyle
your vote is your voice.
is it one of the hottest days of summer?
is it time for our annual
christmas in july/august celebration?
absolutely.
with long-time friends
turkey dinner
wine
christmas cookies
stories
and
odds and ends re-gifts to each other
that we’re highly likely
to re-gift to someone else at a later date
no reason to keep the joy of giving all to ourselves.
—
‘christmas makes me happy no matter what time of year it comes around.”
-bryan white
—
image credit: pinterest vintage, petticoats and pistols
lucky encounter
of a piece of summer’s art –
when crossing paths
with a melted ice cream heart.
—
“besides being a useful adjunct to courtship,
ice-cream is often employed to feed poets upon.”
~”A Few Casual Remarks on Ice-Cream,” Puck, 1881
finding summer simplicity
blue fairies
“truth is ever to be found in simplicity,
and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”
-isaac newton
i asked two of the grandies
to go bike riding with me
but to have mercy
go easy on me
i haven’t been on a bike in two years
they are great riders
mountain bikers, road bikers, hill jumpers
all i wanted was to get my bike legs back
by starting on a flat surface
they were patient
told me some roads looked tricky
but i’d be okay
along the way they challenged me
and asked me if i could ride
using just 3 limbs, 2 limbs, 1 limb, no limbs?
(no to all)
with 4 limbs, a few minor crashes, tight turns,
near misses, and less than perfect balance
i survived the ride
and rode the next couple of days with them
each day i got a little sorer
but the ride got a little easier
they figured i’d get better by the end of the month
when i asked how they’d rate me as a rider
they told me that i began on the ‘terrible’ level
and had moved up to the ‘almost moderate’ level.
i took that to mean
‘almost mastery’ level.
—
“she who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.”
-susan b. anthony
walking up to the register
i saw the cashier
a bit of an awkward, gawky type
with kind eyes and a worried face
who didn’t appear to have a lot of self-confidence
having just finished with a customer
he was ready to deal with my order.
his head was down
i said hello
he looked at me and said
“that last customer told me to smile.
he has no idea how hard it is for me
how hard it is to be here right now
no idea what im dealing with
what i’m going through
how it’s a miracle i’m even here
it would be really hard for anyone
i have to be here until midnight
this is just the beginning of my shift.”
as he quietly told me this
tears began to slowly roll down his face
he grabbed a box of tissues to wipe them away
all the while continuing to check me out.
we bagged my things together
as he went on –
“they told me to hold in my emotions
but i think its okay to show them
what’s wrong with that, i think it’s a good thing?”
when he finished with my order
his manager came over
with a compassionate and not angry face
without a word
took over his register
i thanked him for helping me
agreed that it’s certainly okay to feel and express things
told him that i hope things will get better
he walked off in silence and punched out
i hope that he takes a long break
goes home for the day
whatever he needs
has someone waiting for him who will support him
i don’t think he wanted an answer from me
just wanted me to listen
to acknowledge his humanity
his struggles, his emotions
tell him that it was okay for him to feel and express them
i hope he is back when i stop in for my weekly grocery shop.
i hope that things are better.
—
“tears come from the heart and not from the brain.”
-leonardo da vinci
I didn't have my glasses on.... 