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I had totally forgotten about Love Thursday until I sauntered over to Shutter Sisters recently. I love Love Thursday. I love Love everyday, for that matter. I am, truth be told, a love junkie. That sensation you get when you feel like you’re just going to explode because everything is so beautiful? That’s love and I am hooked on it like Phonics. And although I’m not in a relationship right now, I am happy to say that I feel love…
All. around. me.
All. the. time.
Indeed, love doesn’t always have to involve someONE. Sometimes, it hits you when you’re running in the park and you witness a mallard snuggling little ducklings under her breast (shut up… it’s cute and you know it). Or the way you feel when a perfect warm wind blows on your skin… a caress from the Universe, I say. Or when a complete stranger smiles at you and the sky blushes. Or when a song makes you break into spontaneous dance in the kitchen (wine may have led the dance in this instance but my heart followed the lead and my feet followed suit).
All I’m saying is that there are an infinite number of ways to feel love (if you open up your heart to it) and it is the ultimate life experience. Wouldn’t you agree?
The photo above was taken at Parc Maisonneuve a couple weekends ago. My cousin and I packed a picnic one Sunday afternoon, hopped on our bikes in our skirts and meandered through alley ways, over railroad tracks and down lovely bike paths all the way to the park, where we laid out a blanket under a tree.
There we were, with a storm brewing in the distance snacking on hummus and crackers and cherries and trail mix and squeaky cheese (another thing I love and I believe it is only made here, in the land of poutines (or at the very least, on Canadian soil… um… by Canadian udders), which is a true shame because everyone should have access to squeaky cheese 24/7. It’s like L to tha O to tha V to the E… it’s just so cheesy delish. But that’s a whole other topic for another day.
Anyways…. the canopy was five different shades of green, made all the more vibrant under the charcoal sky. There were people flying kites, a gay couple in the distance walking their teenie weenie dog in their teenie weenie bikinis, kids chasing each other and screaming, students studying for finals, couples roller blading hand in hand, a father playing soccer with his son. See. Love. All around.
My favorite though, was this couple in their sixties, TOTALLY making out on the bench behind us. We’re talking full tongue. It was such a rare sight; it was as if I had spotted an ivory-billed woodpecker. You just don’t see people of a certain age making out… but THEY SHOULD because when you make out with someone the way they were, it means you are so into them that you just can’t help but show them. And that is love. And I hate to think that that kind of love fades so it made me all giddy inside to sneak a peak at them. I just wanted to jump up and down and say “Yay. Good for you and good FOR you.” But I thought that might ruin their moment. So instead, I snapped a quick photo and made a mental note to self. Make out with dude on park bench when 60.
Other LOVE-ly sights I enjoyed that day… Ooh! But before I send you into the land of photos, I just want to welcome a new soul into this world. How appropriate is it that my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Love Thursday? Welcome to the world Samuel. I can’t wait to meet you little man.
Does anyone else feel this way? Like life is one big game and you still haven’t quite figured out all the rules and how to play it? Essentially, you’re just winging it. Sometimes you take two big steps backwards, other times you’re stuck on a square and don’t move forward for ages no matter how many times you roll the dice, occasionally you bluff and once in a while you pull a get out of jail free card.
I was walking around the city this evening and it was a beautiful evening. We’re talking an exquisite summer evening… orange skies, everyone smiling, friends sharing meals on restaurant terraces or home patios, music and laughter riding warm wind waves. It was the perfect Saturday night in Montreal… and I was alone. I had 3 separate invitations but I couldn’t seem to decide on one. I was confused between what I wanted to do, what I felt I should do, what other people wanted me to do and not even knowing what I wanted. Holy mother of God…the thoughts were swirling in my head and I felt caught in an undertow, being pulled down; that if I went any lower, I’d soon be scraping hell’s roof. So I stopped, right there on the sidewalk. I stopped and said something that sounded like Woh là! Ça va faire (Woh! that’s enough). And by stopping one damn second and taking a deep breath, I realized that what was truly bugging me was that I was alone without a partner on this beautiful Saturday evening… that the past 4 months are just now starting to catch up to me… and wouldn’t it be great to be in love tonight? By being brave enough to admit that to myself, the next realization came… I will be in love again. Someday. That is a certainty. But for now, I get to live the experience of being single… just me, for once… so maybe I should be in love with myself for a while and learn to savor this experience. Ding, ding, ding! Light bulb! Fireworks!
So tonight, I’m on a date with myself, doing exactly what I want to be doing (writing and processing photos) and everything seems so simple. All that really matters right this moment is that it IS a beautiful summer evening, the first summer evening of the year, in fact. And it’s my father’s 53rd birthday. Happy Birthday Pops. And I have the most inspiring mother on this planet. Y’all can’t even possibly imagine this woman’s strength. And in those moments when I’m feeling weak, I am reminded that I come from her and I am so grateful for that.
Here I am on this summer solstice, on this particular square and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. Because this is my game and I only get to play it once. I’ll roll the dice again tomorrow and see where they take me.
How are you going to play this game?
Me: You really should write something on your blog. It’s been like, a week.
Me: I know but I’m feeling creatively challenged. Honestly, I’m a little low & lonely these days and I don’t want to spread my nasty germs all over the internet. That stuff is contagious, you know.
Me: So… just don’t write.
Me: Yeah, but now the site is up and there’s no excuse. And I’m overwhelmed because since I’ve moved to Montreal, I’ve received so many kind emails and gifts and I have yet to respond to anybody. I feel like a bad person… and I got this new camera and I haven’t had time to process any of the photos… and I was given bongos for my birthday and I haven’t banged on them yet… and…
Me: Hey! Why you gotta be that way? I think you should make like Otis and try a little tenderness.
Me: See, this is why I haven’t been writing… because that is the kind of nonsense that comes out of me when I try too hard.
Me: Why don’t you tell a story. Ooh! I know, tell the story your sister shared this weekend. The one about the guy down the street.
Me: I guess. But I’m always scared of offending someone. What if they think I’m mean?
Me: Just tell the story already!
Me: Well folks, it goes something like this. My sister lives in Verdun, which is sort of considered the slums of Montreal (the other side of the tracks so to speak), which is far from the truth but you could say that the place has personality and with the personality package comes a few characters. Small price to pay for affordable rent 15 minutes from downtown Montreal.
So… my sister is walking home the other night and what does she see but her neighbor… wearing no clothes above the waist. Now, if only he were a Matthew Mcconaughey look-alike, we would all be wiping the drool off the corners of our mouths right about now. Alas, this man was more of the Philip Seymore Hoffman variety in Along Came Polly, which in and of itself is just not good… but it gets worse. The dude is standing in his front yard for all to see, shaving his big beer belly.
Me: Was he using a Bic or an electric shaver?
Me: It was a dollar store Bic, my friend. And he was dry shaving from one side of his belly to the other in big swoops – you could practically hear the blade scratching against his gut. Michael is already envisioning the slow motion scene with exaggerated sound effects for his next movie.
Me: Eeeewwwweee!
Me: I KNOW! You just don’t see that shit every day.
Me: Nor do you want to.
Me: True that. But maybe the poor guy’s carpet belly overheats in the summer and he didn’t want to get the kitchen floor dirty with his shavings.
Me: So, you’re saying that he was doing it out of consideration for his wife?
Me: I have to spin something positive on this.
Me: I personally think the whole thing is a little disturbing but to each his own… and I appreciate your attempt at kindness. Still, you may have now offended anyone with a beer gut, hairy belly, dollar-store bic owners, their wives and all Verdun dwellers.
Me: It was your idea. Besides, it was either that or sending out invitations to my very own pity party.
Me: Nuff said.
