Twinkle

“I went to a tattoo parlor and had YES written onto the palm of my left hand, and NO onto my right palm, what can I say, it hasn't made my life wonderful, its made life possible, when I rub my hands against each other in the middle of winter I am warming myself with the friction of YES and NO, when I clap my hands I am showing my appreciation through the uniting and parting of YES and NO, I signify "book" by peeling open my hands, every book, for me, is the balance of YES and NO, even this one, my last one, especially this one. Does it break my heart, of course, every moment of every day, into more pieces than my heart was made of, I never thought of myself as quiet, much less silent, I never thought about things at all, everything changed, the distance that wedged itself between me and my happiness wasn't the world, it wasn't the bombs and burning buildings, it was me, my thinking, the cancer of never letting go, is ignorance bliss, I don't know, but it's so painful to think, and tell me, what did thinking ever do for me, to what great place did thinking ever bring me? I think and think and think, I've thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”
― Jonathan Safran Foer

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”
― Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

“When God Created Mothers"

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said. "Six pairs of hands.... no way."

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," God remarked, "it's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word."

God," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "Get some rest tomorrow...."

I can't," said God, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

But tough!" said God excitedly. "You can imagine what this mother can do or endure."

Can it think?"

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model."

It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

What's it for?"

It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride."

You are a genius, " said the angel.

Somberly, God said, "I didn't put it there.”
― Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers

“FORBIDDEN
Pain without learning is forbidden,
waking up one day not knowing what to do,
being afraid of your memories.

It is forbidden not to smile at problems,
not to fight for what you want,
to abandon all because of fears,
not to realize your dreams.

It is forbidden not to show your love,
to be ashamed of your tears,
to not laugh with children,
to make someone else pay your debts, bad humor.

It is forbidden to forget your friends,
to not try to understand why they live far away,
to treat people as disposable,
to call them only when you need them.

It is forbidden to not be yourself in front of others,
pretending around people you don’t care about,
trying to be funny just so you'll be remembered,
to forget about all the people who love you.

It is forbidden not to do things for yourself,
to be afraid of life and its commitments,
to not to live each day as if it were your last.

It forbidden to take someone out without having fun,
to forget their eyes, their laugh,
to not respect love even if it is past,
just because your paths have stopped crossing,
to forget your past and only live in the moment.

It is forbidden not to try to understand people,
to think that other’s lives are worth more than yours,
to not know that each one of us has our own way and our own happiness.

It is forbidden not create your own story,
to have no time for people who need you,
to not understand what life gives to you, and that it can also be taken away.

It is forbidden not find your happiness,
to not live your life with a positive attitude,
to not think we can do better and be better,
to feel that without you, this world would still be the same...”
― José N. Harris, Mi Vida