April 27, 2011

stolen fruit

iphone - moon & branches
UPDATE (4/28/11):  thank you friends for all the thoughts, prayers and worry about me, my family and our beautiful state.  the devastation of the tornadoes that stuck yesterday is heartbreaking to watch unfold.  my family and i are fine.  however, there are at least 130 confirmed dead so far in alabama.  i mourn for their loss and i mourn for their families.  how ironic my quote from when i wrote this blog yesterday morning.  death is a companion to our lives - it sits beside us ready to snatch us away at a moment's notice.  it makes me grateful to be alive today. 

today from the quote journal:  "live every day like it is stolen from death."  (from the art of racing in the rain by garth stein)

how delicious to think of treating days as stolen fruit without the guilt.  now i'm thinking of the peach or pomagranite juice dripping down my chin...in the summer especially.  or drinking from a hose pipe.  can you imagine living your days that way?  what a wonderful perspective. 

i admit it...there are days that i hum and ho through life.  dreading the getting out of bed and dragging myself to the office and then drudging my way home to throw together dinner.  ugh - who wants to live that way?  not me.

today on my ipod - real wild child (iggy pop), bent (rob thomas), stay on the ride (patty griffin), life less ordinary (carbon leaf), don't stop 'til you get enough (michael jackson), i go blind (hootie & the blowfish), love train (the o'jays), some kind of wonderful (grand funk), don't stop (fleetwood mac)

read this week - bloodroot (didn't like it - i'm typically a sucker for southern writers but this one depressed me and i didn't see a real resolution.  i also did not like the myriad of voices in the writing), a year on ladybug farm (it was pleasant but not "literature" in that i did not learn anything earthshattering or there were no real societial issues)

if you haven't followed relyn's month of passions you should.  today i talk about my passion for music.

18 comments:

  1. I was just thinking this morning that I wish
    that I had the energy to live more "fully" and
    it's hard. Why is it so hard? You would think
    that living life like it was "stolen fruit" would
    be easier. Maybe it's that "stolen" part that's
    got some of us stuck. I'm with you, I can so
    dig my teeth into a juicy peach right now.
    thanks for the post Char! :)

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  2. i've barely been able to keep up with regular blogging this month....what is it with april feeling a cement block tied around my ankle :(

    i'll see you over relyn's place :)

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  3. Wow, that photo is so atmospheric and haunting. And I love the quote and your expansion on it. I'm going to keep that image of fruit juice dribbling down my chin as I savor the days.

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  4. I hope your area of the state was free of scary weather today. Just checking....

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  5. Sometimes I don't know how my husband does it, going to work everyday for 10 hours, coming home and having supper, watching TV, going to bed and starting all over again the next day. Especially in the winter when he leaves in the dark and comes hom in the dark. I'm so thankful to only work part-time. At least while the girls are still at home anyway.

    We need to make the most of the gorgeous days we have.

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  6. Another awesome photo! The last couple years I've totally been smitten with bare tree branches. Not sure where that came from ... but there it is ...

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  7. What a beautiful thought!

    Thinking of you this morning with all the storms that have been tearing through the south... Hope you and your family are ok.
    xoxo

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  8. When I turned on the computer this morning it was the first time I read of the devastating news happening in Alabama...my first thought was of my friend who lives there and I am so happy to read that you and your family escaped any of the horrors of the weather. "live every day like it is stolen from death." INDEED!!
    xo

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  9. So glad you are okay! I cannot believe the devastation! Here at my house we are celebrating the return of our cat that we thought had died (or been eaten by coyotes) - it does feel a bit like we snatched her from death.

    xo Mary Jo

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  10. It's so good to know that you and yours are all safe amidst all this devastation. I haven't been able to make my blog rounds this month, so it's good to come over and catch up with you today. That quote cuts me to the quick. I am trying so hard to live exactly that way, for like you, I have had my share of "dragging" days when I'm just muddling through. I'm so grateful for the life I have and the people I love. Thanks for reminding me, Char. Sending you a warm hug! xoxo Gigi

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  11. Love that quote from Garth Stein. We have wake up calls every day - some small & quiet, some sadly knocking us flat like the devastation in the south. Going through my divorce, I realized one day that I really had very little control over much of the process, & little control in life - I realized I needed to be like a leaf floating down a stream ... going with the flow, being open - corny, but true! And after mom's death, I try to live in each precious moment & not be distracted by the things that truly don't matter. Living that way makes one rich. My heart goes out to those who have lost so much, & I give thanks for today.

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  12. Thank you for the update - relieved to hear you and your loved ones are okay. Praying for your state and those most affected.

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  13. Great perspective going on here, days as stolen fruit. It's funny how something as simple as a fresh piece of fruit can evoke such good feeling.

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  14. Hey Char, I didnt realise you were in the area of the dreadful tornandos and storms. So glad you are ok, Very sorry to hear of your Uncle. Much love to you during this time xo

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  15. Have you read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt? I loved it. Read it on the way south on my trip to Biloxi this week. I thought you'd enjoy it ~
    http://bethhoffman.net/the-book

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  16. I love this thought -- treating life as if it was stolen fruit. Given the devastation that has happened in your part of the world, this message strikes home so deeply. xo

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i feel as if each comment was between us as we sat and sipped something warm....i love to hear what you're thinking.