take a moment out of your day to be moved by this very short film
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credits: aleteia, barr pictures, open hands open hearts
Dec1
Tag Archives: relationships
Mar31
“the belonging you seek is not behind you. it is ahead.” ― Star Wars: The Force Awakens
the only remaining incan rope bridge
the Q’eswachaka rope bridge, suspended over the apurímac river in peru, is a piece of living history. it is the last of the rope bridges that once connected the incan road system, and dates back about five centuries. rebuilt from twisted cords of grass by residents each year, it is a piece of history that is not only still in use, but regularly renewed.
the bridge—spanning 118 feet and composed of local grasses—is remarkably sturdy: it can hold thousands of pounds of tension. but perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Q’eswachaka is the local community’s ongoing dedication to keeping it in working order.
the bridge, though strong, only has a lifespan of one to two years before it begins to weaken. since the structure was first built nearly half a millennium ago, residents of nearby towns have fastidiously rebuilt it hundreds of times. they continue to rebuild it to this day, with each family contributing some 90 feet of rope.
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“true belonging is born of relationships not only to one another
but to a place of shared responsibilities and benefits.
we love not so much what we have acquired
as what we have made and whom we have made it with.”
—robert finch
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credits: atlas obscura, anna green, mental floss
Dec26
missing pieces.
mg reads the paper
and has stopped noticing
when pieces
are cut out of a page
and
tucked away
waiting to be used
for my art collage projects.
he just reads around them
without questioning
what was there
and why
it’s no longer there
and
it’s clear
that
we have
a real easy
comfort level
between us.
—
if it’s the right chair, it doesn’t take too long to get comfortable in it. – robert de niro
Dec22
when universes collide.
Jan8
slip sliding away –
Slip sliding away, slip sliding away – You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away – paul simon
and yes, it’s another polar vortex day at home, and yes, i have yet another personal tale of slip sliding away.
this one involved a first date. it was back when i was a cocktail waitress, working at a hotel, putting myself through school, a single mother, not sleeping a lot, and without much of a nightlife other than work. he was one of our regular customers, friendly, quiet, always alone, polite, settled in his life. a one-beer kind of man.
on our big night out, we went to dinner and then to my hotel’s employee holiday party. he knew all of the staff and so it was relaxed and easy for both of us. after some socializing, and one or three cocktails, we left for the night,.
i didn’t know that while we were busy being social inside, the temperature had dropped, and it had gotten icy outside. i was all dressed up in heels and pearls and big hair and skirt, and feeling quite happy and pretty. as we got to the parking lot, i slid on a patch of black ice near the passenger side, and somehow ended up partially beneath his car. he quickly jumped in to help me out from under it, and back up on my feet, and i was absolutely beside myself in tears, not from any injury, but from laughing so hard. and i could not stop laughing, as the only thing hurt was my pride.
after looking up at his face, and seeing that he was not laughing along with me, i said, ‘i was just checking your muffler,’ thinking it might help him to relax into the situation a bit. he just looked back at me with a poker face, asked me if i was okay, quietly opened my door, and helped me into his car. he never even cracked a smile, or made a comment, and instead, acted as if nothing unusual had just happened. he was a ‘perfect gentleman’ by some standards.
i instantly realized this had been an unexpected gift from the universe, a sort of litmus test of his approach to life and relationships. i knew that we were not a good match. i knew that we lived life differently. i knew that i would smile and say, ‘hi’ when he came in to the hotel the next time, and we would speak nothing of it. i knew why he felt more comfortable being there alone. i knew it was to be our first and last date.
“Some accidents there are in life that a little folly is necessary to help us out of.” – Francois de La Rochefoucauld
I didn't have my glasses on.... 