Beauty in all the right places

As I was watching my good friend Thena Dare perform last night, I was overwhelmed with a sense of vulnerability. She really just has such a gentle way about her. Her voice, so lucid and clear, just pierces your sensibilities. She told me a story about how one of her first shows in Chattanooga, TN was in a divey billiards hall. I could just see my friend getting up there, so seemingly small, but then opening her mouth and cutting through to the heart of the toughest guys.

Thena and I use to hang out often. Boyfriends, a husband, distance, and circumstances have lessened the frequency but we are still close. In her liner notes for her last album, she thanked "M." Could that be me? And as though to verify our kinship, I said her coyly last night, "So I read your liner notes ..." She said, "Of course, its you. I love you!" She's the first girl friend who taught me how to share and express love in this safe place between two women. My mother and I are just learning that ourselves. It was not something I grew up with. Communicated in words, any way.

I also ruminated on the appreciation of beauty - and her appreciation, specifically. I see how that's one of the things I miss having around in Thena. I think we appreciated beauty together. A few years ago, before I hung up my writing quill in definitely, my eyes seemed more opened, more primed and sometimes even more alive. And though things have not ceased to be beautiful to me, I do not spend as much time dwelling on it. I think this has to change. (In fact, just thinking about this makes me realize that C ruminates on beauty alot. Hmm.. goes to show I'm attracted to certain types of people.)

Welp. Its been a long week. I celebrated my one year anniversary of working here. I'm so grateful for this job - in one year - I had brushes with Mraz, DMB, and the guys from U2, so its not a bad gig. (And no I won't stop talking about it - what's wrong with that.) And in the next 48 hrs, I will finish the crowning achievement of my knitting and present to my mom, a beautiful cardigan!

Pictures to follow. Have a good one!