My little sister says “dude” a lot. I would attribute this to her being 20 years old, except that I say “rad” at least twenty-three times a day, so maybe it’s just a Smith sister thing. Continue reading
happiness
Raised On Rock
“It’s great to be here. It’s great to be anywhere.”
-Keith Richards
Keith Richards turns an immortal 71 today. I wrote this for him.
And for my dad. And for me.
Anais Nin said, “we write to taste life twice”, and I say that perhaps we write to taste it twice, and then read those words over and over to dine on life for the rest of our days. Perhaps we write to create appendages to things, and moments, and feelings already beautiful in their own right.
Apron Strings
“For this child I prayed.” 1 Samuel 1:27
I promise I will always have pennies in my coin purse in case we happen upon a fountain, for I will never stand for you missing out on anything upon which you can attach a wish. I promise to let you stay home from school every January 8th, and we will have Elvis sandwiches and watch his movies all day long. (We will tell your teachers it is a religious holiday.) Continue reading
I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine
“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”
-Oscar Wilde
Ernest Hemingway said to write hard and clear about what hurts. A truth I am trying to champion is that there is an acuity to my words only when they are written extractions of my tragic vulnerabilities (proof: here); I want to be able to extract my happiness with the same amount of expressive precision. I have hesitated for quite some time to publish this part of my life for fear of brandishing my unpleasantries for the world wide web to witness. But, another truth I am trying to overcome is that I am not very brave. And so I am going to do as Ernest urged. He was, after all, a man so very handsome, and as “I’m just a girl who cain’t so no” to a handsome man… Continue reading
Girl: Happy
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
-Emily Dickinson
Kurt Vonnegut once said, “I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim, or murmur, or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’” I thought of this quote not long ago during one such moment, and I did just that- it wasn’t an emphatic exclamation, but a contented vocalization: “I’m happy.” And that was the first time I can ever recall recognizing happiness at it’s exactness.
Girl: Happy
“Reality continues to ruin my life.”
-Bill Watterson
Oh mercy. It’s been forever, hasn’t it? Now that summer’s over, it’s much harder for me to find things to be grateful for. I kid, I kid. Here’s what I’ve got for ya: Continue reading
Girl: Happy
“Everybody’s wearing a disguise, to hide what they’ve got left behind their eyes.
But me, I can’t cover who I am.”
-Bob Dylan
{Exasperated and melodramatic sigh}
I finally finished all of my chores and can At Last sit down to relish in some time to myself to think about my charmed life. Continue reading
Girl: Happy
“Simple things bring infinite pleasure.”
-Joan Marquez
Here’s what’s making your girl happy today:
Girl: Happy
“I simply remember my favorite things- and then I don’t feel so bad.”
-Fraulein Maria
The Sound of Music is one of my very most cherished and favorite movies. For awhile I put in on every Sunday as I was getting ready for church. I watched it today with the little peanuts I nanny and even they seemed mesmerized at times by its charm. (What good is being a nanny if you can’t indoctrinate the little people into having good taste?)
Aud(b)rey
“For me, the only things of interest are those linked
to the heart.”
-Audrey Hepburn
Happy Birthday to a very classy lady indeed. I can’t ever thank you enough.
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becoming brittany 