Reading...

"I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library."

-- Jorge Luis Borges, writer

So I read. I must read. Set the goal --- to 50 books this year.

Most recent book under my belt: "kiss me like a stranger: my search for love and art" by gene wilder

no capital letters because that's how it's written on the cover. which i believe has to do with the one thought in the book about an e.e. cummings poem.

another great thought, shared with grace:

Upon Our Marriage
We both believe in music and painting
and the truth that we can see all around us in nature.
We also believe that something, some fate,
brought us together at this exact point in both of our lives.
With appreciation for these exquisite insights,
and with the love and respect we both feel for each other,
we think we have the foundation for a happy life...
so long as we keep laughing.

And the poem, the philosophy of living that drew him to his wife (not Gilda) that he hoped he had reached... and he hoped that if it was posted on the kitchen cupboard, perhaps she had reached it also.

After a While
by Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul

and you learn that
love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises

and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child

and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much.

So you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure,
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth.

and you learn
and you learn
with every good-bye you learn.

Paradise is a good book, precious thoughts, and the chance to reflect. I am in paradise. Thank you.