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Monday, July 24, 2006
miracles
i've been thinking about this post for a good part of the day, trying to work through everything that happened this weekend. it's a good exercise, attempting to understand the very extraordinary and ordinary moments in your life and see if anything changes because of them.
so here goes.
i had a good weekend. scratch that, i had a great weekend, actually.
after work on friday i had a date with my mom and together, we discovered the joys of green tea frappucinos and lamination. ah, markham =) afterwards, i waited for my sleeping boyfriend to leave his deep slumber so that we could go on a fossil-hunting expedition and maybe, just maybe, if we were lucky enough, we would find a miracle tucked away in the hollows of a great big tree. a tree with roots that were beginning to tuck themselves beneath the topsoil, a tree that had been growing for a while, waiting for us to find it.
in the meanwhile, i took my dog for a walk. remy and i hiked to the far reaches of the earth (just till the park) and blazed our own trail through overgrown and menacing brush (through the flat-top grass) and basked in the splendour of the cosmos (while watching a young boy in clean sneakers orbit his parents like a haphazard sun). we arrived home triumphant and sun-kissed, the way kids feel after a hard day conquering miraculous monkey-bar towers and scaling plastic slide palaces.
the next night, with a preface of dumplings, green tea and an "Everything" cookie (why do people use peanuts as filler? a peanut is a peanut...never a cashew, almond or pecan!), my boyfriend, his friend, our coworker and i headed to the drake to attend a poetry slam.
i don't really remember most of the poets, except for one called Rives. He's from L.A. and he was...amazing. At the end of one of his poems, "Compliment," my heart suddenly felt incredibly full and this wellspring of emotion rose like a tidal wave and came crashing down inside me as he finished. to my disbelief, tears escaped. As i tried to wipe them away quickly, AJ looked down at me, and despite the dimness, asked, incredulously, "Are you crying?" I didn't really know why I had reacted so strongly. Maybe it was because Rives was very charming. Or maybe because the poem was touching and funny. Or maybe (and maybe I knew this all along) that i felt like i had just found a small miracle, specifically a small three-and-a-half minute testament to the miracle of finding love. And maybe, just maybe, for the first time in my life, I knew that I really understood what someone was talking about. that it wasn't quite his quick-turn caesuras or his coupling couplets that made my heart swell just a little bit. that maybe it had something (or everything) to do with the tall guy, in the clothes he made me pick out for him, standing behind me.
on sunday, after we lost our softball game to the Miracles, I drove my mom to her church to attend a healing night. a pastor from malaysia, pastor jean lim, was the guest speaker, and she spoke about the power of healing and how it only comes through with complete faith. she showed us a dvd of the prayer houses in singapore, malaysia and indonesia. afterwards, she held a healing session with the attendees, and spoke and laid her hands upon each one that approached her. there was one elderly gentleman who shuffled up to the front slowly, leaning heavily on his walker and on the arm of an usher. as pastor lim spoke to him and held him firmly, she eased the walker away and seconds later, the gentleman began to walk independently. his joy was tangible and made even more apparent as he began to jog slowly around the sanctuary. after seeing this, and getting over my utter shock, i could feel the tight edges of my faith fraying and unravelling and stretching. i shouldn't have needed to see this, but i did and it was a...miracle.
a miracle.
do they actually exist? yes. do we see enough of them? we would if we looked closely. i'm going to collect miracles in mason jars, like how others keep mockingbirds, and i'll go to areas that don't got a lotta, (and areas that do) and release them into the air so that everyone can see them, even if they don't want to.
i've been thinking about this post for a good part of the day, trying to work through everything that happened this weekend. it's a good exercise, attempting to understand the very extraordinary and ordinary moments in your life and see if anything changes because of them.
so here goes.
i had a good weekend. scratch that, i had a great weekend, actually.
after work on friday i had a date with my mom and together, we discovered the joys of green tea frappucinos and lamination. ah, markham =) afterwards, i waited for my sleeping boyfriend to leave his deep slumber so that we could go on a fossil-hunting expedition and maybe, just maybe, if we were lucky enough, we would find a miracle tucked away in the hollows of a great big tree. a tree with roots that were beginning to tuck themselves beneath the topsoil, a tree that had been growing for a while, waiting for us to find it.
in the meanwhile, i took my dog for a walk. remy and i hiked to the far reaches of the earth (just till the park) and blazed our own trail through overgrown and menacing brush (through the flat-top grass) and basked in the splendour of the cosmos (while watching a young boy in clean sneakers orbit his parents like a haphazard sun). we arrived home triumphant and sun-kissed, the way kids feel after a hard day conquering miraculous monkey-bar towers and scaling plastic slide palaces.
the next night, with a preface of dumplings, green tea and an "Everything" cookie (why do people use peanuts as filler? a peanut is a peanut...never a cashew, almond or pecan!), my boyfriend, his friend, our coworker and i headed to the drake to attend a poetry slam.
i don't really remember most of the poets, except for one called Rives. He's from L.A. and he was...amazing. At the end of one of his poems, "Compliment," my heart suddenly felt incredibly full and this wellspring of emotion rose like a tidal wave and came crashing down inside me as he finished. to my disbelief, tears escaped. As i tried to wipe them away quickly, AJ looked down at me, and despite the dimness, asked, incredulously, "Are you crying?" I didn't really know why I had reacted so strongly. Maybe it was because Rives was very charming. Or maybe because the poem was touching and funny. Or maybe (and maybe I knew this all along) that i felt like i had just found a small miracle, specifically a small three-and-a-half minute testament to the miracle of finding love. And maybe, just maybe, for the first time in my life, I knew that I really understood what someone was talking about. that it wasn't quite his quick-turn caesuras or his coupling couplets that made my heart swell just a little bit. that maybe it had something (or everything) to do with the tall guy, in the clothes he made me pick out for him, standing behind me.
on sunday, after we lost our softball game to the Miracles, I drove my mom to her church to attend a healing night. a pastor from malaysia, pastor jean lim, was the guest speaker, and she spoke about the power of healing and how it only comes through with complete faith. she showed us a dvd of the prayer houses in singapore, malaysia and indonesia. afterwards, she held a healing session with the attendees, and spoke and laid her hands upon each one that approached her. there was one elderly gentleman who shuffled up to the front slowly, leaning heavily on his walker and on the arm of an usher. as pastor lim spoke to him and held him firmly, she eased the walker away and seconds later, the gentleman began to walk independently. his joy was tangible and made even more apparent as he began to jog slowly around the sanctuary. after seeing this, and getting over my utter shock, i could feel the tight edges of my faith fraying and unravelling and stretching. i shouldn't have needed to see this, but i did and it was a...miracle.
a miracle.
do they actually exist? yes. do we see enough of them? we would if we looked closely. i'm going to collect miracles in mason jars, like how others keep mockingbirds, and i'll go to areas that don't got a lotta, (and areas that do) and release them into the air so that everyone can see them, even if they don't want to.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
live for the moment
look after you || the fray
...There now, steady love, so few come and don't go
Will you won't you, be the one I always know
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
It's always have and never hold
You've begun to feel like home
What's mine is yours to leave or take
What's mine is yours to make your own...
perfect moment #92
in the quiet before the job pulls you out of the morning and through the door, legs flying, mind whirling, bag bumping against your side (already heavy with responsibility and expectation), you sit. Legs stretch out in front of you, and you feel the soft tickle of the carpet on the underside of your calves, relish the feel of space. Your sweet-faced dog ambles over and cuddles in beside you, nestling into that curve above your hip, and you swear your breaths are in sync. Like she realizes the exquisite brevity of the moment, too, and wants to commit the same to memory.
perfect moment #141
Suddenly you were laughing at some ridiculous and secret declaration that you had made seconds ago, and the sound of your laugh—that laugh that starts quietly from the center of your body and sometimes ends up in a teary fit of mirth—made me collapse into a series of giggles because it was the most joyous sound I had heard that day.
perfect moment #147
Ichiban Sushi.
2 patrons
2 cases of reusable chopsticks.
BOOYAH.
look after you || the fray
...There now, steady love, so few come and don't go
Will you won't you, be the one I always know
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
It's always have and never hold
You've begun to feel like home
What's mine is yours to leave or take
What's mine is yours to make your own...
perfect moment #92
in the quiet before the job pulls you out of the morning and through the door, legs flying, mind whirling, bag bumping against your side (already heavy with responsibility and expectation), you sit. Legs stretch out in front of you, and you feel the soft tickle of the carpet on the underside of your calves, relish the feel of space. Your sweet-faced dog ambles over and cuddles in beside you, nestling into that curve above your hip, and you swear your breaths are in sync. Like she realizes the exquisite brevity of the moment, too, and wants to commit the same to memory.
perfect moment #141
Suddenly you were laughing at some ridiculous and secret declaration that you had made seconds ago, and the sound of your laugh—that laugh that starts quietly from the center of your body and sometimes ends up in a teary fit of mirth—made me collapse into a series of giggles because it was the most joyous sound I had heard that day.
perfect moment #147
Ichiban Sushi.
2 patrons
2 cases of reusable chopsticks.
BOOYAH.
Friday, July 07, 2006
everything's coming up bruise-y
I got hit in the side of my knee last night with a hard grounder that took a funny hop. i'm pretty sure it'll start bruising soon. So then i thought, do i really know that much about bruises? Here's what my friend Google came up with:
A bruise is a discoloration in or below skin tissue. It generally results from an accidental injury. Blood leaks from damaged blood vessels, seeping into the surrounding body tissues. The discoloration is often blue, purple or black. With the passing of time, bruises fade to yellow as blood is absorbed back into the circulation.
The treatment for a bruise is most effective right after the injury while the bruise is still reddish.
•A cold compress such as an icepack or a bag of frozen peas should be applied to the affected area for 20-30 minutes in order to speed healing and reduce swelling. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. Wrap the icepack in a towel.
•If the bruise takes up a large area of the leg or foot, the leg should be kept elevated as much as possible during the first 24 hours after the injury.
•Acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be taken for pain as instructed on the bottle. Avoid aspirin because aspirin slows the blood from clotting and may, in fact, prolong the bleeding.
•After about 48 hours, heat in the form of a warm washcloth applied to the bruise for 10 minutes or so 2 or 3 times a day may increase blood flow to the bruised area allowing the skin to reabsorb the blood more quickly. Ultimately, the bruise will fade in color.
Prevention
•Wear protective gear (shin guards) while playing contact sports such a soccer.
•Place furniture away from doorways and common walking paths within your home.
•Keep phone and electrical cords away from open areas where you may trip and fall.
•Be sure floors are kept dry and that rugs are slip resistant.
•Keep floors free of clutter.
•Plug in a small night light or use a flashlight if you need to walk to the bathroom during the night.
•If your doctor has prescribed anticoagulant medications (blood-thinners), be sure to have regular monitoring and adjust medications as necessary.
Hope you have a bruise-free weekend!
=)
I got hit in the side of my knee last night with a hard grounder that took a funny hop. i'm pretty sure it'll start bruising soon. So then i thought, do i really know that much about bruises? Here's what my friend Google came up with:
A bruise is a discoloration in or below skin tissue. It generally results from an accidental injury. Blood leaks from damaged blood vessels, seeping into the surrounding body tissues. The discoloration is often blue, purple or black. With the passing of time, bruises fade to yellow as blood is absorbed back into the circulation.
The treatment for a bruise is most effective right after the injury while the bruise is still reddish.
•A cold compress such as an icepack or a bag of frozen peas should be applied to the affected area for 20-30 minutes in order to speed healing and reduce swelling. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. Wrap the icepack in a towel.
•If the bruise takes up a large area of the leg or foot, the leg should be kept elevated as much as possible during the first 24 hours after the injury.
•Acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be taken for pain as instructed on the bottle. Avoid aspirin because aspirin slows the blood from clotting and may, in fact, prolong the bleeding.
•After about 48 hours, heat in the form of a warm washcloth applied to the bruise for 10 minutes or so 2 or 3 times a day may increase blood flow to the bruised area allowing the skin to reabsorb the blood more quickly. Ultimately, the bruise will fade in color.
Prevention
•Wear protective gear (shin guards) while playing contact sports such a soccer.
•Place furniture away from doorways and common walking paths within your home.
•Keep phone and electrical cords away from open areas where you may trip and fall.
•Be sure floors are kept dry and that rugs are slip resistant.
•Keep floors free of clutter.
•Plug in a small night light or use a flashlight if you need to walk to the bathroom during the night.
•If your doctor has prescribed anticoagulant medications (blood-thinners), be sure to have regular monitoring and adjust medications as necessary.
Hope you have a bruise-free weekend!
=)
