kiss

choose to

in madrid, stumbled upon this artwork of felix's.

life has unending sweetness. we can share it.

that's what felix did.

i know of no power greater than truth, no emotion greater than compassion,

no quality equal to generosity of spirit.

call truth what you will. find it in your heart, subject it to the knowledge of your gut.

don't hide, don't run, don't bury it. please.

have fun. taste the sweetness in life. turn towards it.

choose to believe that we are all in this as one.

Deine Zauber binden wieder,

Was der Mode Schwert geteilt;

Bettler werden Fürstenbrüder,

Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

friedrich schiller,

ode to joy

royal quiet deluxe

erica: a thing finder of the highest order

transit/rest

Substitution

About a week ago, I wrote -- offhandedly, actually -- something in response to a question. The question was asked by someone whom I respect, someone with an excellent work ethic and an eye that will take him far.

My response surprised me.

I don't usually admit it to myself anymore.

It was something that, years ago, I was quite certain of. But I lost the gist...somewhere, in the mill that life becomes, I lost the simple meaning of what I wanted. To pursue design as a sort of career (something, for me, that would fit well in the small crevices of personal time that were part of the geography of being a mother of four) seemed a more-than-acceptable substitute.

But a substitute is always that. A substitute.

"What kind of work do you do?"

The answer to his question is the one that I can't get out of my mind.

(P. S. I have loved design, and always will. Like Pippi, I am a thing-finder.)

"I am a Thing-Finder, and

when you're a Thing-Finder,

you don't have a minute to spare."

Chris Messina on Defense Against Fear

From Chris Messina:

"Sharing and giving away all that you can are the best defenses against fear, obsolescence, growing old, and wrinkles. It isn’t always easy, but it’s how we outlive the shackles of biology and transcend the physicality of gravity."

"If we are Generation Open, then we are the optimistic generation."

I fall somewhere between the generation of parents that Chris mentions and "Generation Open." When I read his work, I wonder what we all have to learn. (And what we've honestly learned, thus far.) I fear that I skew closer to the parents. It makes me wonder what I'm missing.

He seems unfalteringly optimistic about this new, open world.

Optimism, if you haven't noticed, is in short supply these days.

Perhaps I should go back for seconds.

screenshot via chris messina, flickr