I Already Know

Two more! I found two more images of love. 

By accident - really accidently? - I heard two more this week. The first one in the song 'Open Your Heart' of Madonna: Lock and Key.

"Open your heart to me, baby

I hold the lock and you hold the key

Open your heart to me, darlin'

I'll give you love if you, turn the key"

The second: Account. Ana Moura sings in her song 'Por Minha Conta' that the night is cold and hazy. Everything is empty. She is lost and looking for a hiding - that's a third image. The bills have to be paid by or you (Portuguese 'sua') or me ('minha'). And not by us ('nossa'). There's nothing mutual right now.

I guess we could collect more than 99 images of love. Don't you think so too? I already know what image number 100 is. And you?

What is your favourite image of love?

P.S. This is my reading list of Summer 2012

A Little Deeper. Please!

Did you ever visit my Chinese Garden? In a way it's my image of our time and age. Everything seems so transparent and easily accessible today. It seems we are able to grasp other people by checking out their Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etcetera profiles. But the painful truth is we only take a look on their surfaces. Never (better: almost never) too deep! The only thing I see on TV are one-liners and jokes.

Are we patient enough? Am I? Are you? Patient enough to listen, talk and learn to deal with weaknesses, uncertainties and 'I don't know. Let me think about it!'? Of me, you and Others?

A couple of years ago - I can't remember how long ago - I read Ryszard Kapuscinski's book 'The Other'. His masterclass in eight quotes: 

1. "Deep curiosity about the world is not a common phenomenon either. Most people have little interest in it."
2. "For many people the world outside is a source of anxiety, arousing fear of the unexpected, or even the terror of death."
3. "All civilisations have a tendency towards narcissism, and the stronger the civilisation, the more clearly this tendency will appear."
4. "The myths of many tribes and people include a belief that only we are human, the members of our clan, our society, and the Others - all Others - are subhuman, or not human at all."
5. "Human experience shows that at the first moment, as a first reflex a person reacts to an Other with reserve and restraint, mistrust or plain reluctance, or even with hostility."
6. "And so the three possibilities I have mentioned have always stood before man whenever he has encountered an Other: he could choose war, he could fence himself in behind a wall, or he could start up a dialogue."
7. "Other, let us repeat, are mirror in which I look at myself, and which tells me who I am."
8. "That we accept the Other, although he is different, and that this difference, this otherness is rich and valuable, it is a good thing. Yet at the same time this difference does not erase my identification with the Other: 'I am someone Other'."

And Every Bird

Some days are more busy than others. Today is one of those 'more busy' days. 

This morning I exchanged the new big screen TV for the new kids' room. This room will be ready in 3 weeks. Bought three new bottles 'Vieille Réserve' from Paul Giraud. Right now I'm dreaming about taking a hot bath - do you want to join me ;) - and a bathroom filled with the smell of prunier and chocolate. Also bought four bottles of Italian red wine: 'Insoglio del cinghiale, Campo di Sasso, Bibbona (Toscana) 2010' and 'Massimo, Lenotti (Bardolino) 2008'.  Two bottles each. Too expensive but I wanted to buy them anyway. 

Lunch with the kids. At 16h T gymnastics. At 18h join X at his camping party with his primary school class. Next year he will go to high school. I'll be home around 1h :(

In between: dinner and work.

Change the subject. This song of Nelly Furtado/ Stars reminds me of you. This is my reality:

"You're a part of me

You're in every song that I sing

And every bird that sings to me"

P.S. I've to check out Curt Backeberg (1894-1966) he wrote 'Stachliche Wildnis' on his travels searching for cacti in South-America. In fact he was a hunter. Hunting on cacti.  

P.P.S. What is your favorite read wine? And white wine? And champagne?
P.P.P.S. Between 1630-1654 "we" Dutch ruled over Dutch Brazil or New Holland. I don't know anything about this colony and its history. 

Intersection

My life of the past 10 years summarized in 4 words: walking, reading, flying, kids.

What did I really do during the past 6 years? 

• Hardly walk. I don't give it enough priority. Most of the time my time slips away with kids and house. 
• Read a lot. As always.
• Flying. I would love to fly a glider every weekend but I don't.
• Kids. I love to have my kids around. They are getting more and more independent from me.

Riddle: What word is missing in the intersection of these two lists? Yes, you know!