Colors bled from Typist’s brushes, pouring personality into the muses she adores. “We look better with her second attempt.. don’t you think?” Cal asked Nia. “Yes… more nuance. And Paintist will continue to get better with practice.” Thalia executed a near flawless pirouette. Her scalloped skirt danced along as her partner in beauty.
I saw Clare perform last July in Nashville. She left a big impression on me and when I got home I followed her social media and sent her a few notes... and she replied! Today she released a new single called I Love You which is about loving yourself, which opens the door to love others. It's a beautiful song... https://open.spotify.com/track/5nQpZBbk0zWMA0WI2o134B?si=95e49c3fd2e845c4
What an inspirational piece for a Friday! Or a Tuesday or a Sunday! Initiating efforts for connection isn’t my natural inclination. A couple, Kate and Tom, are long term acquaintances of ours. I found myself wondering about them. Ureka! Why not toss a text their way?!
They love live performances, especially at Florida State University venues. And I knew of one tomorrow morning that Beth and I plan to attend. So I texted them, asking if they perhaps planned on attending?
Guess what?! We’re attending together with adjoining seats in a wonderful auditorium to hear music composed by George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Performed by a respected jazz pianist and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.
While fundamentally a neighborhood of four, immersed in an audience of lovers of similar music, we might be in a far larger neighborhood than first imagined.
Long ago, 1973, when I first met Kate and Tom, we shared an array of mutual friends. Someone was always calling (on a landline phone😱) with news of a gathering of one kind or another. That felt like an organic process. Alive.
Much has changed and initiating a gathering of any size feels forced. But what is all that different? Pick up the phone (cracker-jack smart phones that afford all kinds of “calls”) and reach out! It’s not like planning a high school reunion!
So, yes, Gail. On agency. On community planning. A coastal town in Florida and west of us, Seaside, is the first intentional community I knew of. The planner/architect pushed the homes close to the sidewalks and streets, added broad front porches with room for chairs, and designed alleys behind the homes to keep parked cars from becoming visual barriers. Did I say the homes were painted with beautiful pastels with carefully matched accent walls and trim? The point? To encourage owners to use their front porches so they could become acquainted with their neighbors. Extend an invitation to “come sit a spell.” Agency!
Now to develop similar agency in myself. As always, you set a good example!
I saw Clare perform last July in Nashville. She left a big impression on me and when I got home I followed her social media and sent her a few notes... and she replied! Today she released a new single called I Love You which is about loving yourself, which opens the door to love others. It's a beautiful song... https://open.spotify.com/track/5nQpZBbk0zWMA0WI2o134B?si=95e49c3fd2e845c4
I love the girls' makeovers! And, we may not be "neighbors," but I'm so glad we connected, Gail!
BUTTON: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” 😁
I love your gratitude video and shared it on FB.
What an inspirational piece for a Friday! Or a Tuesday or a Sunday! Initiating efforts for connection isn’t my natural inclination. A couple, Kate and Tom, are long term acquaintances of ours. I found myself wondering about them. Ureka! Why not toss a text their way?!
They love live performances, especially at Florida State University venues. And I knew of one tomorrow morning that Beth and I plan to attend. So I texted them, asking if they perhaps planned on attending?
Guess what?! We’re attending together with adjoining seats in a wonderful auditorium to hear music composed by George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Performed by a respected jazz pianist and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.
While fundamentally a neighborhood of four, immersed in an audience of lovers of similar music, we might be in a far larger neighborhood than first imagined.
Long ago, 1973, when I first met Kate and Tom, we shared an array of mutual friends. Someone was always calling (on a landline phone😱) with news of a gathering of one kind or another. That felt like an organic process. Alive.
Much has changed and initiating a gathering of any size feels forced. But what is all that different? Pick up the phone (cracker-jack smart phones that afford all kinds of “calls”) and reach out! It’s not like planning a high school reunion!
So, yes, Gail. On agency. On community planning. A coastal town in Florida and west of us, Seaside, is the first intentional community I knew of. The planner/architect pushed the homes close to the sidewalks and streets, added broad front porches with room for chairs, and designed alleys behind the homes to keep parked cars from becoming visual barriers. Did I say the homes were painted with beautiful pastels with carefully matched accent walls and trim? The point? To encourage owners to use their front porches so they could become acquainted with their neighbors. Extend an invitation to “come sit a spell.” Agency!
Now to develop similar agency in myself. As always, you set a good example!
Thanks, Gail
Won’t you be my neighbor?
👁⚓️👁 🐾🦮🐈🐩🐈⬛🐕🐾