Each night the air sang with the steady hum of the lantern as it turned, turned, turned; even-handed, not blaming the rocks, not fearing the waves: there for salvation it wanted.

With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?

So I let her go, for it was unfair of me to keep her. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done but I knew it was right. She was a bird I had caged that had forgotten how to fly but dreamed of clouds when she closed her eyes.

He had the effect on her of a window being thrown open and fresh air and sunlight being let in.

"I look up at her, then around me, and drift again into the world of scented colors."

"Every infant lives in a bright Garden where everything is sensed directly, without the interference of thought. The 'fall from grace' happens to each of us when we start thinking, when we become namers and knowers. It's not just Adam and Eve, you see, it's all of us. The birth of the mind is the death of the senses-it's not that we eat an apple and get a little sexy!"

"We entered a giant greenhouse. The air was warm and humid, contrasting with the cool morning air outside. Sox pointed to the tropical foliage that towered over us. "As a child, all this would appear before your eyes and ears and touch as if for the first time. But now you've learned names and categories for everything. 'That's good, that's bad, that's a table, that's a chair, that's a car, a house, a flower, dog, cat, chicken, man, woman, sunset, ocean, star.' You've become bored with things because they only exist as names to you. The dry concepts of the mind obscure your vision."

"I am in darkness at the foot of a great mountain, searching under every stone for a precious jewel. The valley is covered in darkness, so I cannot find the jewel. Then I look up at the shining mountain peak. If the jewel is to be found, it must be at the top. I climb and climb, beginning an arduous journey that takes many years. At last I reach my journey's end. I stand bathed in the bright light. My eyesight is clear now, yet the jewel is nowhere to be found. I look upon the valley far below, where I began the climb many years ago. Only then do I realize that the jewel had always been within me, even then, and that the light had always shined. Only my eyes had been closed."

"Act happy, feel happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will."

"I had lost my mind and fallen into my heart."

Balance is the key. In everything you do.

Dance all night long and practice yoga the next day.

Drink wine but don't forget your green juice.

Eat chocolate when your heart wants it and kale when your body needs it.

Wear high heels on Saturday and walk barefoot on Sunday.

Live high and low. Move and stay still.

Embrace all sides of who you are.

Be brave, bold, spontaneous and loud and let that complement your abilities to find silence, patience, modesty and peace. Aim for balance. Make your own rules and follow your own path and don't let anybody tell you how to live according to theirs. 

There are wooden houses on land in far away places that don't cost much money and strings of light that make paths to them gently and do not turn off the stars.

In french, you don't say "I miss you." You say, "tu me manques." Which means, "you are missing from me." 

I love that.

I'm restless. 

Things are calling me away. 

My hair is being pulled by the stars again. 

-Anais Nin

Sometimes you meet someone, and it's so clear that the two of you, on some level belong together. As lovers, or as friends, or as family, or as something entirely different. You just work, whether you understand one another or you're in love or you're partners in crime. You meet these people throughout your life, out of nowhere, under the strangest circumstances, and they help you feel alive. I don't know if that makes me believe in coincidence, or fate, or sheer blind luck, but it definitely makes me believe in something. 

When I disappear, it means I'm somewhere else with a small group doing epic shit. 

Maybe one day we'll find that place where you and I could be together. And we'll catch our dreams within the waves of change. So smile for me one last time and believe that we'll meet again. Until then, I'll be missing you. 

-r.m. drake

Ask her what she craved and she'd get a little frantic about things like books, the woods, music. Plants and the seasons. Also Freedom.

-Charles Frazier

It seemed his lungs could never be large enough to breathe in this much air, his eyes could never see this much space, nor could he hear the full extent of the rolling, roaring ocean. For the briefest moment, he had no edges.

He had the impression he was hanging from the sky, not rising from the earth.

Freshness of the breeze and steadiness of the stars that showered the night.

freeing herself of the dust of her past was exhausting. who knew dust could be so heavy? who knew that fresh air would be so exhilarating?

ONLY THE WILD ONES

Here's to the girls that are free. With the wind in their hair and dirt on their feet. Free flowing moves, one glance and your heart skips a beat. These are the special ones. The mad ones. Who live not for you. But for life and for love and wild magic too. A glimpse in the night, a flash through the sky. Running, feet burning through hot sand to the sea. A kiss or a smile or a whispered word will melt hearts. Leaving a trail in their wake of the weak hearts that did break. From no ill intent, just a free flowing wanderlust that is rare and unique. Only the wild ones feel things that scare not them and not me. 

A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.

When life knocks you down, roll over and look at the stars.

I can't get you out of my head. Which is now becoming a problem because sometimes I have other things I need to be thinking about. Like what my name would be if I were a dragon.

He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. 

Works Like Magic

"If you take any activity, any art, ant discipline, any skill - take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edges of edges, then you force it into the realm of magic." 

-Tom Robbins (B. 1936)

The understanding love

They ask me what I see,
What I see when I'm dreaming,
What I see when I'm listening,
What I see when I'm writing,
But I don't see; I understand,

I understand how minds work,
I understand how hearts work,
I understand how my world works,
But I don't understand them.

Why can't people accept it?
Why do they need to know why?
Why do they want to know?
But they don't want to know why; they want to know what.

If I see their futures,
If I see the dead,
If I see words before me,
But I don't see; I understand.

So when they ask, what do I see in you?
I don't reply. I smile,
Because when I dream,
And I listen,
And I write,
You know what I see?
What I've always seen:
You.

SONNETS TO ORPHEUS: II, 12 (STANZA 1)

Desire change. Be enthusiastic for that flame in which a thing escapes your grasp while it makes a glorious display of transformation. That designing Spirit, the master mind of all things on earth loves nothing so much in the sweeping movement of the dance as the turning point.

--Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Br. David Steindl-Rast

You are stronger than the storm that swells inside you.

He's more myself than I am. 

Whatever our souls are made of, 

his and mine are the same.

one day the sky will crack open

and the stars will pour

out in waves of moonlight-

and there is your love.

Long distance is hard. 

You have to trust that as you each change on your own, 

your relationship with also change.

It takes hope, good humor, and idealism. 

It takes a massive dose of courage to protect the relationship at all odds. It is hard, but it is worth it.

You will both be stronger as a result.

Grandfathers are just antique little boys.

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

If you were the sky and I were the sea.

If you were the sky

Then I'd be the sea
And when you shined bright
It would reflect in me.
When you're at rest
Then I am steady.
If you wanna get rough
I'm always ready.
Past closing at the bars
If you show me the stars
I'll open right up
And cast them out far.
And on the darkest night
If you won't shine a light.
Then I'm silent alongside you
Until you feel right.
We'll meet at the horizon
Where lovers will stare
And wonder with passion
Why they can't meet there.
And you'll share me a kiss
As bright as two suns.
When they meet in the middle
I'll know the days done.
And I can tell that's your way of saying to me.
Goodnight my love.
If you were the sky and I were the sea.

The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed. 

— Ernest Hemingway

I hope that one day you buy every pretty dress you have ever wanted. I hope you wear them and dance barefoot in the summer and laugh. I hope you smile at all the little things, like flowers, and the laughter of children. I hope you get that tattoo you have always wanted. I hope you learn to speak french fluently. I hope you go to Paris and every single state in the US. I hope you never stop singing, even when people tell you that you can't - in fact, especially then. That's when I hope you will sing the loudest. I hope you buy a bracelet everywhere you go until your whole arm is filled with them. I hope you stop beating yourself up about everything that is out of your control. I hope you have the guts to speak up when something is important to you. I hope you step out of your comfort zone. I hope you fall insanely in love with someone unexpected. I hope you forget about your scars -inside and out- and learn to be happy.

de•per•son•al•i•za•tion

Clear off the bed

and come lie next to me
or lie with me
or crawl under these sheets
and die with me
or without
I'm used to it
but I could get used to this

Clear out your mind
and sink down low with me
or get high with me
or hold my hand
and lose some time with me
or without
I'm used to it
but I could get used to this

Clean up your act
and fall apart with me
or fall, apart from me
or fall, a part of me
and take some time to cry with me
or without
I'm used to it
but I could get used to this

Clean out your car
and run away with me
or run to me
or put it in reverse
and go back to the start with me
or without
I'm used to it
but I could get used to this

Cleanse your spirit
and embrace this pain with me
or brace for pain with me
or take a moment to put me back together
and just be with me, with me
or without
I'm used to it
but I could still get used to this

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. 

–Kahlil Gibran

The weak can never forgive. 

Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Never play with the feelings of others because you may win the game but the risk is that you will surely lose the person for a life time.

Go where you are celebrated. 

Not where you are tolerated.

The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are all made up of star dust.

And the rest is rust and stardust. 

-Vladimir Nabokev