Azerbaijan

It's important to know where Azerbaijan is....of course.  Maybe being able to spell it would be even more impressive...then say....multiplying fractions, or knowing why we'd use a two tailed test in particular statistical study. (Yes I am still chewing on that).

I used to travel to places I thought would be cool to be from, or to live and have a home address.

I have fostered, for countless years, a keen desire to have a street address on Embarcadero; just because it is fun to say the word. It rolls out like the fog obscuring the Golden Gate Bridge. I could envision me standing at the window just watching the progress of that fog, sipping a favorite vintage wine. My lips relishing the feel of the wine while saying Em-bark-ah-dare-oh.

The same is true with the city of Budapest. Not just because it is like one of the oldest city in Europe, or that it has been run over by so many invading tribes that no one can claim they're family is actually "FROM" there. Yeah, a city of mutts. But sound it out..Bu dah pest...yes, another fun word.

Here is where I really go nuts

Belarus...sounds so frontier, so untame, and that'd be true, they just celebrated the acquisition of their first milk carton making factory.

 My adopted dream place to live is Barcelona.  For all those romantic reasons that matter to me; from being ancient and well established before Rome  was an empire whose appetite set eyes upon it; by the sea  framed by the pleasant rolling landscape, almost a fairytale selection.  But consider the sound of it.  Bar-sah-lone-ah; makes you smile just to hear the syllables tickling your ears. Yes it is enticing to say the least.

Then if I were sick, I'd go to Ukraine, probably because it’s a slant rhyme with complaint, and let’s face it when we’re sick we’ve plenty to annoy us. I learned that term in creative writing. Just as this mental wandering would be considered prose; no point, no structure to be concerned with, no rhyme

so perhaps I should write Iran....out of time

Falling into Place

Sometimes things just fall into place.

Oft as not,  it is the very substance of those no-big-deal details

The little pleasantries conspire to deliver a splash of satisfaction.

Something as simple as a thank you

in a sincere tone, at a crucial moment

A smile that welcomes,

These are the warming salve whose effects linger for days.

An inner glowing sense of satisfaction

In feeling understood.

Essentially they remain ever unexpected

Which is to say, never anticipated

 within the confines of distracting, unfolding events.

Attention possessed

by  a dreading avoidance of unwanted consequence.

For me

 I  am surprised when I catch myself aware in the moment.

I cherish the quality of connection to the here and now.

I feel...

young

Whenever I am in that light of acceptance

I ironically realize

I am shining back on life.

After Lunch

An amusing snapshot that provides a living example of the blinding flash of the obvious.  What would this instance bring to the forefront out of the background?  Men and women in the endless, fruitless effort to communicate.

“We are each going to have our own yogurt today for dessert”

“Why? We always share”

“Because you like the apple crumb and I don’t”

“Well, then we’ll have a different one”

“No, I’ll eat half of the strawberry, and you have the apple crumb because sooner or later it will have to be eaten”

“Oh alright”

“The honeymoon is over; next thing will be the divorce”

“It’s the little things”

“Yup, you don’t see them coming”

“Reminds me of that proverbial rhyme For want of a nail; for the want of a nail the shoe was lost, for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; for the want of a horse the knight was lost; for the want of the knight the battle was lost; and want of the battle the kingdom was lost, all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”

Pause

“We need to put birdseed on the Home Depot list”

“Ya know I could have bet a million dollars that I would not have guessed you would have responded in that way to what I just told you”

“You think I don’t listen to you don’t you?”

“Well, I wonder…it’s like you telling me that the umbrella on the deck needed to be taken down because the rain was coming”

“Yes?”

“Well I see the umbrella is down”

“I wanted to be nice; I knew you were working in the study, so I took it down”

“Then why did you tell me it needed taking down when you decided to do it?  That’s what drives men crazy.  Women say they want something done, but if we don’t do it right away you go ahead and do it for yourself.  And if we object to having to stop what we are doing in order to get it done right away, so you won’t pout, you’ll say you didn’t mean right away; when you did.”

“I didn’t want it done right away.  When I saw you were busy I went ahead and did it myself”

“And that’s fine.  I think if you’re able to do it, then do it and ask for my help when you need it or when you want it done right away; or that you can wait until I have time to do it.  Because I DO want you to be happy, and I AM willing to cooperate and accomplish those things you’d like done.  And that’s just what I wanted to say.  Well, no that’s not JUST what I wanted to say about that practice, but that’ll do for now”

“We need to get more birdseed”

                                Zero impact