One Woman On A Quest for Peace, Joy, and the Write Words
(Because yesterday should have been No. 19 — calendars and I are apparently not simpatico.)
Dear Andrea,
Thank you for your friendship and your beauty. You’re one tough cookie, and I’m so happy that you’ve made a connection with someone who appreciates you for you. I know I certainly do
#yearoflove
Dear Annie,
You give the best hugs too.
xxx
#yearoflove
To the blonde barista:
Thank you for sharing memories of our mothers, both of whom told us, “Don’t walk in my dirt!” when they were sweeping the floors. My Mother always had a particularly funny, squeaky way of saying it, and I hear her voice in my head every time I sweep a floor with anyone else around. As a mom, you say it to your own kids. Thank you for laughing with me as I instinctively picked my feet up off the floor, sitting in my chair at the green cracked-ice table, so you could sweep under them. It was a sweet interlude on a cold winter’s day.
A photo of my first ever matcha. It grew on me, but the first few sips, sadly, tasted like what I think a dog must taste after he throws up the grass he just ate. Number of stars: questionable. For you vintage furniture lovers, please note the aforementioned green cracked-ice table.
#yearoflove
To the FedEx Kinko’s lady,
Thank you for the walk down memory lane. Those days of IBM Selectric typewriters are so distant now (that backspace correcting key – a Godsend!) and yet, my memory of typing dozens of papers in front of the Duraflame logs on the floor of that apartment on Beacon Street are as vivid as if it were yesterday. Armed with White-Out and the weird eraser brush thingy (pictured below, but whose name we couldn’t recall). Retyping entire pages if I missed a line. Technology is not like that today, and I think I’m grateful. And thanks for sharing your memories about Seattle. You made my day brighter.
Seattle, Washington.
And in honor of one of my favorite poets, who passed away today, I’d like to share the following poem. Reminiscent of my Weekly Wednesday Poems on this blog — I know some of those were Mary Oliver’s. Rest well, Mary, and swirl in the beauty of words and other worlds.
To the woman I met on my walk:
Thank you for noticing my Western Washington University sweatshirt. Your enthusiasm and excitement about my daughter attending your alma mater was adorable, and it matched your bright yellow jacket. You were truly a ray of sunshine on a dark-dusky winter afternoon. And your dog was super sweet. ♥️
#yearoflove
Dear Bridget,
Thank you for you. For feeling the effects of that long flight of stairs with me. For hugs. For being light about death because it has touched you so often. For sharing my bitching. For laughing with me. For caring.
#yearoflove
To my Checkout Lady at Safeway tonight:
I hope you didn’t find it odd for me to tell you so, but I’m so proud of you for going back to school a little later in life to get you Associate’s degree. And proud of you for finally gaining your US citizenship after 16 years. All while working full-time and raising a family. Way to go, woman! I hope you’ll take my advice about your resume and those pesky keywords, and so glad that you’re taking the next step to go to the Workforce Services folks, because yes, they can help, and what’s more, they want to. Wishing you all the good things this world has to offer.
Today’s quote: “Because this is the beauty of strangers: we’re all just doing our best to help each other out, motivated not by karma, but by a natural instinct to help the greater whole.” — Sloane Crosley
#yearoflove
Dear Sunni,
Thank you for remembering my daughter’s name, after our one conversation and meeting seven months ago. I was impressed that you cared enough to do so. It’s a quality seldom found in the working world today. Thank you for the feeling of kinship, your intelligence, for speaking your mind, and even for throwing the occasional expletive into the mix. It’s always a pleasure to meet a real person. Let’s get a beer together next time.
Reston, Virginia.
#yearoflove
Dear Nanci,
Today, I looked down and what did I see at my feet but two dimes, side by side. And of course, I thought of you, and how you always find dimes in odd, random places, and take it as a sign that your Mother is with you, even from as far distant a place as heaven. Know that I am with you too, even from a less far distance as 90 miles. Thank you for seeing me as I truly am, despite the odd, cunning circumstances that brought us together. You once murmured, sitting in a chair in my living room, that it was as if we’d grown up in bedrooms just down the hall from one another. Sisters in spirit – that’s what we are. I’m proud of you for the strength you’ve found over the last years, and of your faith and faithfulness. Always ready for that hug!
#yearoflove
Dear Jen,
Even though we’ve worked together for almost eight years, we’ve only met four times, and still you feel like my partner in the next cube – just 1,084 miles away. I love that we envy each other’s travels. I love that we send each other emails with no subject line when we want to complain about something. I love that we have each other’s backs when one of us is drowning. And I especially love how eternally positive you are. You say you’re really not always like that, but I think that’s just who you are at your core, and that’s beautiful. I’m grateful that we had some time together this trip. Thank you for being you.
Today’s quote: “Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” — Anais Nin
#yearoflove
