Less to do

You can plan all day. Plans seldom pan out. No matter how much you work at being in control, you have none. You can do a lot to protect yourself, and you'll still get hurt. You will disappoint the people you love. You can't save anyone, help anyone or change anyone. 

I don't know about you, but this has pretty much cleared my calendar.

I need a tutu

Things I learned this weekend: A kiss really does make it better. Dragons eat tacos. 
There is a superhero in every parent. And I need a tutu.

Zen Master

Boyfriend and I are strolling through The Mission.
Me: who walks around driving staples into posts?
Boyfriend: (Staring at me incredulously) people post signs. Signs are removed. Staples remain.
Me: Oh. (Pause). I wonder how many other things that are obvious to the rest of the world are not obvious to me.
Boyfriend: Many. But a lot of things that are obvious to you aren't to the rest of the world.

Boyfriend. Bacon gobbling, Manhattan quaffing, black boot donning Zen Master.

Closet yogi

My boyfriend and I are sitting on the sofa. He's contemplating dinner. I'm contemplating life.
Him: Are you hungry? What would you like?
Me: Sometimes I feel like nothing is in its place.
Him: Have you considered that maybe everything is in its place?
Me: ---.
Him: I'll scramble some eggs.

I suspect boyfriend is closet yogi.

Grace

More than "keeping it all under control", more than "being right", even more than finding the perfect word, what I want is to learn how to handle things with grace. It has the best aftertaste.

Talent

I had a 4 year old guest over on Sunday. His mom says to him "say goodbye and thank Dushka for playing with you!" The kid looks right at me and solemnly declares: "Thanks Dushka. You are the best pillow fort builder in all the world."

And that, folks, might be one of my favorite compliments ever.

Fairy tale

The past two days involved poetry, a pretty dress, champagne, dancing, a starry night, sweeping views of the ocean from the back of a horse and crusty bread still hot from the oven. Still, it wasn't until the hotel called to tell me I had left a shoe behind that I realized my weekend had been a fairy tale.

Tomato

One fine morning at breakfast burrito bar:
Me: Hi! Breakfast veggie burrito please. No tomato - I'm allergic.
Him: WHAT? Tomato is so good for you!
Me: Yes, unless it's toxic to your system.
Him: Well, we can put a little in, just for flavor.
Me: No - but thank you!
Him: Oooooh. Ok. Well, how about sun dried tomato?
Me: Thank you! But, that won't work.
Him: But it's sooooo delicious! I just can't imagine what it would be like!
Me: It's hard. Sometimes very hard.
Him: A little pico de gallo on the side?
Me: that's chopped up tomato, so no.
Him: Wow. You know, I just don't get it.

No kidding.

I've got nothing

This couple was sitting across from me on the bus. I strained to eavesdrop. They whispered. They giggled. They pouted. They laughed. They nuzzled. They leaned into each other. They held hands.

It was a rough commute: a whole universe unfolding before me, and I couldn't hear a thing.

Look up

Our destiny often shows up in the form of serendipity. A chance encounter in the street. A glance in a cafe. I wonder how many things we are passing by that are supposed to be happening; what we are doing to the fabric of our fate by never looking up from our mobile devices.