Slowing It Down...

OK, let's be straight with each other. This photo is not at all representative of how I actually spent most of my weekend. Nevertheless, it was the perfect way to bring me back down to the ground, to slow down and be present and to be like a child again. Cadence is an expert at helping me to do that.

I think a game of Poohsticks (which is what Cadence and I were doing here at Garfield Park) is the perfect ending to a weekend of joyful mayhem, unjustifiable stress, mingling with multitudes, inspiration for the revolution, intoxicated/ing dancing, way too much el Jimador and Malibu Coconut Rum and American Spirits, the inevitable morning after (or in my case, morning OF), and severe sleep deprivation.

If a six year old ever asks you to play a game of Poohsticks, my advice is to always say yes.

So much love to you all this Monday morning...

Me, Myself and My Camera

Every now and then, even in the dead of winter (which we are still far from, let's not delude ourselves, never mind the chilly temps), I get a hankering to visit this beach. I spent many an evening and late hour here this summer, writing letters and dancing with the waves. Tonight, I went back there for old time's sake. I been missing the lake, the waves, the sound, the rhythm, and I needed a little fix, the cold be damned.

And I'm glad I went. I can always depend on the lake to still be there and be as beautiful as ever, no matter what the windchill may be. I pulled an all-nighter last night, but I've been wired all day, and this was just what I needed to come back down, to still my heart and my murky mind and to remember what it feels like to rest again.

Golden

There is no better way to end the day than to have your face kissed by gentle rain and mist as you walk out onto the boulevard, and all around you has been transformed into glistening gold. Especially if your heart is full from a day packed with the love and presence of friends, some of whom you weren't even expecting to see. And especially if your heart is full from longing for friends whom you miss dearly, near and far.

I thought of you as I took this photo. I held you in my heart and imagined you were next to me. Yes, you. And you. And you, too.

You know who you are. And if you don't, you should.

Finding My Way Back

I've been gone awhile. I don't know if I'm ready to be back, but here I am, after searching for days for a graceful re-entry, and failing miserably. Do I pick up where I left off? Do I explain myself? Do I pretend I was never gone? How do I fill in the blanks of the past weeks? For once, I don't even have the images to speak for myself.

(And yet I do...snapshots of moments etched into my heart for safekeeping, a private album already treasured and lovingly thumbed through.)

This is going to take time...I hope you don't mind...