Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Translation -- Look, Eat, Dance, Love

A lot of time has gone by since the last time I decided to put together a blog. Sometimes things happen and you find yourself caught up in events and taking on responsibilities that you don't expect to last as long as they do or be as involved as they turn out to be, or you're not emotionally in the place you need to be to wax philosophical, or be funny, or point out something useful about writing or life in general.

In the middle of everything going on, there are some moments, or in my case occasional hours, that make you grateful for what you have, who you know, where you've been. No matter how crazy or awful or frustrating everything around you gets, sometimes there are unexpected idylls you need to stop and enjoy, and recognize for what they are: moments to be joyful, and loving, and grateful -- to discover, or just be silly, or weep or sing.


This is not Scorpio, but that's what I saw first...
Sometimes these moments come quietly, on a walk with a friend around the block in the deep dark streets and suddenly you realize, looking up, that you can recognize the constellations -- something you thought you'd forgotten how to do. And there's the sky, in all its wonder, and you are under it, looking up. And you are very, very small, and somewhat amazed.




PizzaClubNoLimitsMilan.com
Via Carlo Imbonati, 20
Milano, Italy
The most delicious place!









Sometimes these moments are in a different land, surrounded by a dozen people speaking a language you barely grasp, in a wonderful restaurant where there are thirty different kinds of pizza and everybody is laughing and kind.



Sometimes it's on a car ride with your child who is not really a child anymore, listening to music you aren't familiar with, saying "play that again!" until you learn the words and can sing along. Even if you can't dance while you're driving, you can always dance later. You've got the song in your head now, even if it's mostly in Korean and your favorite line is the ridiculous falsetto of two English words: "Bay-bee Girllll..."



Exo: "Call Me Baby" -- I dare you not to want to dance once the chorus hits you.



Sometimes it's in listening to someone you love very dearly because they need listening to -- or sometimes that someone is listening to you, because you need listening to -- and you realize how lucky you are to have that person, that connection. And you don't have to say how much you love them and how much you love that conversation. Because they know. And you are still... very small... but what's between you is not. 

Find those moments.