monday. the first full day of spring. a day of soft sunlight, a day of her work, where art and business collide and create a beautiful symphony of purpose. she drank gogi tea in bed, spooned warm oatmeal to her lips, and wrote and wrote and wrote. the paintings in her home, neutral studies of white texture, were admired and a potential commission was offered -- she is becoming an artist in photography, in styling, in words, in paint. she read a note from a friend who is in europe... a friend that she misses, yet a friend that is ever with them when they play anouar brahem, or when they bake fondant chocolate cakes. she read the words of others, words that inspired her: this evening, at a bus-stop with a newspaper over my head, i thought back to my brief college romance with buddhism. i loved how we were all connected, and the idea having a golden buddha on my mantel. i figured that whole part about renunciation would come later, with maturity; when i made a conscious decision to shed the things i wanted so badly, but couldn't afford. but, i never... "lost the world in order to find myself". somewhere along the line, joy just started pouring from a french press pot; so simple and perfect it doesn't even need to be plugged in. lately, i find luxury in the feel of a bathmat beneath my feel on a cold morning. i've never been a champion of low expectations. but, i write this as i drink three dollar wine, waiting for the bus. what i want most is to hear my key in the loose lock, opening up my one roomed apartment. life is so good - half drunk and half way home - counting on something to come. i know happiness is somewhere in here, amongst the things i've kept. (sam, unconventionally beautiful) while working, a song played that brought her to a place of spiritual craving. a song about a beautiful god... she had never heard it before, yet it brought her a wave of nostalgia for the faith-filled days of her youth. beautiful colors all around me, painted all over the sky. and the same hands that created all of this. they created you and i. what a beautiful god. she sat and pondered this reverent new sensation. she does believe in a beautiful god. she doesn't know the theological details, but she knows beauty. uncomplicated, vast, a sense of undefined worship. a thirst quenched, with simple spirituality. after working, after inspiration, there was a nude polish pedicure and a silky, ruffled top. a walk to the wine shop for a bottle of new world bubbly. her love came home with bags filled of pink tulips and european cheeses and organic leeks. they chopped and stirred and simmered. she lit candles around the home, she sliced crusty ciabatta. new friends, shane & mikaela, arrived. they came with a bundle of ten tulips, some white and some yellow with feathered petals, all wrapped in ivory ribbon. he wore a collared knit, she wore a soft pink cardigan with beaded detail. a dinner party, of laughter, of tastes.
the menu:
at the kitchen island, thin slices of ciabatta, spread with unpasteurized wildflower honey, ricotta, proscuitto and black pepper. with flutes of sparkling chardonnay from argentina.
at the dining table, set with a centerpiece of tea lights, shallow bowls leek & celery soup, drizzled with rich cream and with dill-infused extra virgin olive oil.
followed by, simple salads of organic colored lettuces, dried cranberries, pine nuts and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
a cheese course. creamy subtle camembert, pungent smoked dutch esrom and ripe pear. shared on one wooden board with a vintage knife.
in the lounge, foamy vanilla lattes and individual chocolate cakes served in ramekins with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
the menu:
at the kitchen island, thin slices of ciabatta, spread with unpasteurized wildflower honey, ricotta, proscuitto and black pepper. with flutes of sparkling chardonnay from argentina.
at the dining table, set with a centerpiece of tea lights, shallow bowls leek & celery soup, drizzled with rich cream and with dill-infused extra virgin olive oil.
followed by, simple salads of organic colored lettuces, dried cranberries, pine nuts and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
a cheese course. creamy subtle camembert, pungent smoked dutch esrom and ripe pear. shared on one wooden board with a vintage knife.
in the lounge, foamy vanilla lattes and individual chocolate cakes served in ramekins with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
cheers to new friends, to conversation, to art, to dreams, to achievement, to flutes of wine, to dark chocolate.
