edge of the continent

The lights went out in the neighborhood for hours today, and I quickly came to appreciate just how much of my comfortable life is due to the readily-available service of the local gas & electric: I couldn’t dry my hair, charge my cell phone, cook dinner, listen to music, use the clothes dryer, check my email, and on and on. Agitated, I roamed the apartment, unable to do much of anything that felt useful or productive. I finally lit a slew of candles and sat in the semidarkness, listening to passing cars and the kids at play in the parking lot, while a fire alarm rang dully in the distance. My restlessness calmed in the cool air and the quiet of the neighborhood, only to return when the lights suddenly flickered and switched on; now here I am, back to the noise and distractions and endless to-do lists of the day. I can only hope that the power goes out again, and soon.

Brightly,
-a.

Sometimes I wish my life was more like last night: casual, genuine, and in the company of dear friends. It was lovely to sit in that noisy cafe, sharing pictures and laughter over the din of partygoers and late-night creatures, then to retreat to a bench along the bay and continue easily, happily until first light. My spirit has been buoyed since the get-together — my life is quiet and sometimes not entirely pulled together, but there are happy moments of good conversations and good friends that I can hold onto and savor. What was loveliest, perhaps, was that the evening reaffirmed my otherwise flagging faith in humanity and in my ability to gravitate towards and surround myself with good people. These are moments when I know I am doing all right by the universe.

Cosmically,
-a.

Plaster walls and aluminum tables are bathed in an underwater luminescence, and music lingers vaguely in the air. I stare at glossy curls and pale skin that glow a curious blue from within, and I am moved to open my mouth to speak. She interrupts me mid-mumble and shakes her head in exasperation. “Stop wasting my time,” she hisses. “Speak up!”

Indeed.