Losing

First - I am not starting a trend of writing several times a day. I just found something beautiful, full of soul, that I wanted to share. Zach. Zach Ashton. Am I the last to know? Probably. Highly possible.

Anyhow. Zach. Joining the group of male singer-songwriters palying the guitar. Looking at the list on the right-hand side of this post, it doesn't take much to notice that it is a format that will catch my attention. Add growing up by the beach and we have a winner. What is it in that combination that gives me all those good vibes? Soul.

And Zach has a lot of soul. Click your way to http://www.zachashton.com/ and have a listen to Losing. I also like Oi Amor because of the obvious fact that I love Portuguese. But neither of those two was what caught my attention to begin with. It was Ocean.

Dreaming of snow

I woke up early this morning. I opened my eyes and it returned to me - a little piece of my dream.

In my dream I woke up early in the morning. I opened the door and barefeet, I stepped out. It had snowed during the night. Everything was beautiful and white. Walking along the snow covered street, my bare feet felt no cold. I felt no cold.

Purity? New beginnings? Hope? Aspiration?
Contentment. Beauty.

Without knowing what to link this to, I stumbled (see, that is my main way of moving forward it seems, stumbling and drifting) onto two clips. Enjoy!

And magic returned

The Gandhi quote of the day I find very suitable:

"A living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm."

So this is how it always goes - you hear about a piece of good music and before you know it, it has lead you to magic.
I was lead, by the hand, to magic tonight.

(You'll like the guitar in this one)



You know, one of those lovely phone calls with the person who is just that close to your soul. It all feels nice and warm, cozy. You talk about this and that, about dreams and reality, about making dreams into reality, about music. The Beautiful Girls, he said. Yes, I felt that one. I felt it all. Thank you. And then I stepped further and stumbled. It took only one step, ending in a stumble, and there I was, ready to take it all on. Mat McHugh.


Is it just me being totally off? Does it ever happen to you like that, that you just feel your body open up and let the magic flow inside? That's what happened to me tonight. I'm sure I had the right mood anyway, feeling totally warm and fuzzy. And the magic returned to me. Suddenly you don't see walls and dark streets and the dishes that still are undone. You don't see the time and the hurry to get some sleep. You don't see work, you don't see people, you don't see obligations, you don't see vacations that already are planned but that don't fit into the calendar. You see energy, forming a circle around you, pushing away everything else. And you see it grow and you see it move like waves of an ocean. And you feel strong.

And you feel touched by magic.

That is what happened tonight. Not bad for an ordinary Tuesday. Tomorrow will be no ordinary Wednesday. No way.

Go to www.matmchugh.com and have a listen to Seperatista. If you hate ska, just take a leap when you hit that and move on to the next one. There are a lot of pearls on that album. I especially like Fall to pieces. And Loneliness. The first part of it is excellent. Then it continues, and magic happens.

Horizon 2

It's about an hour ago since my last post. I don't care. I was reading my old posts and I found my heart. It was broken. And as I poured myself another glass of Chilean wine, I decided to do something, that could be unforgivable; I'm posting the same song for the second time.

Rachael Yamagata's Horizon. Last time I said it is in no hurry to get to the end, it fills its space and does not pretend in any way. Yes, all of that is true, and still it fills my heart with those forgotten sorrows, that only a soul-touching song, poem, touch can find. There is a sweetness to sadness. It is a feeling I enjoy in many ways, its softness. This very Damien Rice-ish female singer is worth taking a second listen to. Go ahead, feel vulnerable for a few minutes.



And when you feel for something more upbeat, here's how I stumbled over Rachael. Yes, it is the wonderful Jason "Bring your board" Mraz. I love that man.

Did you get my message?

The scent of autumn

The garden of Versaille, one year ago.

This morning I felt the scent of autumn in the air.
Fresh and welcoming, yet making me feel a sense of loss.
I am not ready for fall yet.
I am not ready to give up all those things that I've attached to summer.
Long days and short nights.
Bare feet.
The sun warming my skin.
The waves rolling in.
Friends and strangers on their way home
at five o'clock in the morning.
All those 'good mornings' and 'good nights'
When the sky is light and some are waking up, having their breakfasts,
others are ending the day before.
Dreams that are just moments away from becoming --
Reality.

I want to hold on to my summer.
I want to feel the grass beneath my bare feet.
I want to keep the sense of dreams --
Coming true.

Summer. Don't leave me for a long time now.

Drifting

It is the last day of my vacation and I'd rather spend it with nice people. My absence has a good reason to it - I spent 8 days on the northern coast of France. Beautiful, beautiful place. I made some notes along the way, and I'm here to share them with all of those that don't have any better things to do at the moment. I'll try to give you my view of a few days, spent on reflecting on life and myself, enjoying beautiful landscapes and the music of my mp3-player. I'll share a few photos as well. Today's music: Charlie Winston. Yes, the album Hobo is now in my possession :).

1 August, on my way.
Music: Vanessa da Mata & Ben Harper, Boa Sorte; Ben Harper, Lifeline

My journey has just started but I already feel a sense of calm finding its way into my soul. It might be the tunes of Ben Harper on my player, but I know it's also more than that. Above the clouds, in the midst of a blue sky, it is so much easier to see things for what they are. That might be one of the reasons for which I love flying. To get further away from my every day ways of thinking and closer to myself, to my soul, and maybe to the truth of life. I am still hours away from my destination, in my mind I am already forming dreams of destinations to come. I want to get to the dunes of Brazil. I want to feel the kite lift me up above the waves. Oh, dunes and kite boarding. Dreams that are yet to be fulfilled, but that easily could be just five months away.

I don't want to wait a lifetime, yours or mine. Ben Harper

2 August, Le Hourdel, France
Music: Marcelo D2, Eu tive um sonho



I got to the dunes. Rented a bike, checked the map and head off with my board, the bees wax, food for the day and my camera. Finally I found them! Rising above sea, beautiful and white. Behind the dunes I see them: the kite-boarders. My heart skips a beat. No - I say to it - you are not the heart of a kite-boarder, not just yet. I run up to the highest point of the dune with my board. I feel the wind in my hair and my heart pumps liters of blood into my veins. I step onto the board. Nothing. No movement. I jump onto it. It glides half a meter and the nose digs into the sand. My heart returns to the kite-boarders, so wild, so free. I cannot blame it. But I am just no ready to give up just yet.



Note 3 August:
After some hard work with the board I got it moving a couple of meters at a time. I must say this is not easy.

3 August, Le Crotoy, Fort-Mahon-Plage, France
Music: Jack Johnson, Adrift


Today I learned something about myself - I am a drifter. I drift from place to place - I feel that is my main way of moving. Is that a good thing or a bad one? I'm not sure. I get inspired so easily, by so many things. A change of direction doesn't acquire that much. Today I drifted on a bike. I was planning a trip to Le Crotoy. Then Marquenterre. I had trouble finding the beach of the latter one, which got me drifting. I continued pedaling. Soon I found myself one hour further, with the logic "Find the beach, then go home". I had become a beach-hunter, a woman with a mission, a woman that wouldn't give up. I felt the punishment already in my legs and arms, the sun burning my neck. I kept on. Fort-Mahon-Plage. The sign was a bit of a surprise. I had planned that much before - I would definitely not go as far a Fort-Mahon-Plage. But here I was. And what a beach! That was all worth the hard work! I counted to about 70 km today.

Drifting.



Anyone who knows me also knows that I am a firm believer of faith. I believe we have a starting point as well as an ending point, and some stops we're supposed to make in the middle. Places we're supposed to be in, people we're supposed to meet. In between - any kind of movement in any direction along the beach of life, leaving our own, individual imprint in the sand. Imprints that become the painting of our life. Mine is apparently made by drifting.

4 August, St. Valéry sur Somme, France
Music: Ben Harper, Paris Sunrise


I was up at dawn today, something I don't regret at all. I captured the most beautiful sunrise coloring the bay with a golden shimmer. I am two hours away from Paris, and still I feel Ben H is following me around on this trip along the Picardy coast. Paris Sunrise on my mind.





Today I sit on yet another beach, still sore from yesterday. As I watch the waves roll in over the pebbled beach, the first waves I've seen on this trip, a little friend lands on my arm.



6 August, St. Valéry, France
Music: David Gilmour, This Heaven


Yesterday I had a lot of thoughts on my mind. I guess being physically exhausted opens up the mind a bit wider. I overdid it again, I confess. Guilty as charged. I took a stroll along the channel. To Abbeville and back. After that 30 + km walk I could not bring myself to lift a pencil. The burn in my muscles reminded me of four years ago when I ran my first and since - last - marathon. During my long walk I started thinking about a man, more of a legend that a few years ago lived in my building. He was a walker. Walked day in and day out. Everybody knew him and all had their own story to tell, to add to his status of the legendary walker. All knew about him, but only a few lifted their hand to wave hello as he walked by.
So one day he was on his way out as I entered our building. For the few moments that I had him eye to eye I was blown away. I said hello and he responded with his. His voice as clear as that of a young boy's. His glance gave away the clearness of two ice-blue eyes, and I'll tell you, they were as lucid as running water. For a moment I wondered, who in fact it was that I had encountered. I was glad I did, though, just a short time afterwards he passed away. Leaving me with the feeling of having been let in on a secret.
That same feeling is easy to get when surrounded by beautiful nature, as I am right now. I just saw a seal, watched it turn in the sand, enjoying the morning sun. Today is a day of relax, I promise.














8 August, returning home.
Music: Citizen Cope, My way home