Feb9

cologne.

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while sitting 

in the little waiting room

at my optometrist’s office

I looked up from my reading 

as a man entered 

 the wave of his cologne

washing over me

my nose was overwhelmed

drowning out my other senses

 I knew it was being absorbed

into my clothes, my skin, my hair

my eyes began to burn and water

luckily he was called first

I felt for the doctor

 and was reminded of him

when I entered the examining room 

where he had left his mark

moving on

toward his next unsuspecting victim.

—

“i think it’s interesting that ‘cologne’ rhymes with ‘alone.’ “

-demetri martin

 

 

—

image credit: liveoutlaw.com

Feb8

cut.

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kinder understand that it’s all about the cut 

and leaving only the most important part remaining. 

 

—

“i believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.”

-truman capote

Feb7

writing out loud.

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(not me, but we could easily pass as sisters)

—

for some reason

after almost 8 years of blogging

and never questioning it

I only recently discovered

what the word ‘blog’ actually means. 

—

Blog is another word for weblog.

A weblog is a website that is like a diary or journal. …

Bloggers often write about their opinions and thoughts.

A blog containing video material is called a video blog or video log,

usually shortened to vlog.

—

“Blogging is to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud.” For most of human history, all published writing had been carefully inspected, edited, and approved. In the last decade, blogging has turned the publishing world on its head. A blog allows you to write and publish anything, from anywhere, and have it be immediately available to billions of people all around the world.”  -Andrew Sullivan, the Atlantic

. I, for one, am happy to embrace the chaos and vitality.

 

Feb6

timing.

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this could not have arrived on a better day.

my vote is in.

perfect timing.

 

—

“life is about timing.”

-carl lewis

Feb5

botanical.

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this one is sure to make a comeback.

yes, most of the leaves have dropped off, but I see a hint of color.

ignore the brown, there is still a flower.

—

these are a few of the thoughts that cross my mind

as I try to nurture and revive

some of my indoor plants

that have chosen to be

“on a break from thriving right now”

for some reason I will not give up

as long as there is one stick left in a pot

my optimism refuses surrender

and still i wait for my green thumb to appear.

the fact is

that I love to garden

I love flowers, I love plants, I love trees

I am a nurturer by nature

but it is all a trial and error process for me

my middle daughter once stood in the middle of my yard and said,

“if you had everything you ever planted,

we would be standing in a botanical garden right now.”

I really loved that.

what an excellent point.

—

“gardening is not a rational act.”    

-margaret atwood

Feb4

can I get a witness?

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‘speak the truth, and all things alive or brute are vouchers,

and the very roots of the grass underground there,

do seem to stir and move to bear you witness.’

-ralph waldo emerson

 

 

 

 

 

 

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image credit: google images

Feb3

rebuttal on february 3rd.

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I’ve been keeping a diary for thirty-three years and write in it every morning.

Most of it’s just whining,

but every so often there’ll be something I can use later:

a joke, a description, a quote.

It’s an invaluable aid when it comes to winning arguments.

‘That’s not what you said on February 3, 1996,’ I’ll say to someone.

-david sedaris

 

 

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image credit: connecticut public radio

Feb2

groundhog.

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“groundhog day is like a rock concert

but the people are better behaved and a groundhog is invited.”

-tom chapin

 

 

 

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image credit: trip savvy.com

Feb1

hearing.

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always hear what the sheep has to say.

Jan31

small.

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she was in the checkout line just in front of me

something about her looked tired

like her shoes

world weary

her cart filled with simple things

beans, bread, eggs, milk, cans, pasta

and what looked to be a special treat

one small bright orange

maybe for someone little waiting at home

 when it was her turn

she paid

with what was left on her food card

 then tried a credit card

and still

didn’t have quite enough

 she looked back at me

with apologetic eyes

sorry for the trouble

 she fumbled in her purse

looked to see

what she could put back

not sure what to do

I heard the clerk tell her

that she needed

one dollar and seventy cents more

 my heart went out to her

not knowing her life

I said that I had that money

 I was happy to give it to the clerk

 she looked at me with shy eyes

nodded thank you

 carried her bags out

and I thought about

how that one small orange

would make such a difference

for someone special

  maybe

my small act

had made a difference

in her life too

 made it

a bit easier

just for a moment

and at that moment

I knew

there was absolutely

no finer way in the world

for me to have spent

just one dollar and seventy cents.

—

‘remember that the biggest thing you could do today is a small act of kindness.’

-cory booker