sweetness

sometimes life is so perfect, for a moment or a few, that it pierces my heart. it is so dear to me- all my loved ones, the smell of just cut grass, dawn breaking on a spring day when all is quiet and peaceful, the birds chirping with promise and joy, the sun on the ocean of a lazy afternoon, the sound of crickets on a summer night, burning leaves in fall, a ripe strawberry, the memory of watching planes land with my father and brothers, my grandmother's lipstick on a teacup, holding my husbands hand as we walk through new york, catching lightning bugs as a child, the memory of my mother's hands and voice, the end of a cocktail party with my parents when we were satisfied and tired, laughing with my dearest friends...so much laughter, christmas morning with my mother, someone else's music floating in through my windows on a breeze, the caw of a crow in the distance...the mere thought of my son. my beautiful, beautiful son.

i feel its dearness and fragility and endless beauty and in the same moment i know i will say good-bye to it one day. it is both Right and heart-breaking.

i love so deeply, i am loved so well. at the end of all of it, that's all that matters. that's all of it.

just float, float with the fish.

Vivian Maier

A woman is born in NYC, grows up in France, returns to the States and works as a nanny for about 40 years. While she is working as a nanny, she also take photographs. Thousands and thousands of photographs. And never shows them to anyone.

Finding Vivian Maier

Her photos are incredible. And I love how private she was. Especially in our celebrity culture now, to have someone who was so passionate about her work, so talented and persistent, and yet avoided the public eye...it's very moving to me.

To make art for the act of making it alone - I have a lot of respect for that.

I can't wait to see the documentary.

Article on Maier.

Coffee table book of her photographs.

The Artichoke

i tend not to capitalize my typed words because a) i like the appearance of lower case letters better; and b) one of my shift keys is broken. but i will capitalize The Artichoke because it's one of my favorite foods.

so when i saw THIS in today's NY Times (again, respect), i thought, well, i'll pay homage to one of my all time favorite foods. the smell of a steaming Artichoke in my home continues to be one of the most comforting olfactory experiences in my life. the taste of the leaves and heart (it has a heart!) with melted butter, mayo, or a vinaigrette is so delicious i often have to do it in silence to bask in the joy.

my mother told me that her mother would serve artichokes when one of her children would bring home a date to see if they were sophisticated enough to know how to properly eat one. i hadn't realized, until then, that it was used as a weapon in class warfare. thanks, granny! 

now that spring is here, i see some of the tasty treats in our near future. i may even make 4 for me and my husband so i can really luxuriate in its wonder.

two great articles on parenting

i read a lot of articles on parenting written by women these days. i miss my mom and wonder what advice she would give me now in my life. i think this article by Elsa Walsh might be close to some things she would tell me.

this was a particularly useful quote for me:
"Learn how to manage conflict, because the greater the level you can tolerate, the more freedom you will retain. Making compromises is a healthy approach to living.
For a woman to say she is searching for a “good enough” life is not failure — it is maturity and self-knowledge."

i don't have a career at the moment, but i'd like one someday. and so i try to take notes from those who have already forged that path and have a family.

this is another good one on the values we have as American parents. the things we don't realize we value and therefore emphasize when parenting our children.

it basically says we, as Americans, value intelligence over other qualities and therefore try to provide intellect-growing stimulus for our kids all the time. i do find myself thinking this way sometimes, although i also really value a person's ability to interact socially with ease and grace as well, so i'm sure i'll emphasize that with my son (something the Italians value a lot which makes sense to me).

"Every society interprets its children in its own way: The Dutch, for example, liked to talk about long attention spans and “regularity,” or routine and rest. (In the Dutch mind, asking lots of questions is a negative attribute: It means the child is too dependent.) The Spanish talked about character and sociality, the Swedes about security and happiness. And the Americans talked a lot about intelligence. Intelligence is Americans’ answer. In various studies, American parents are always seen trying to make the most of every moment—to give their children a developmental boost. From deep inside the belly of American parenthood, this is so obvious it isn’t even an observation. It is only by looking at other societies that you can see just how anomalous such a focus is."

good food for thought!