Paris Fence - A Romantic Legend

On a bridge named the Ponts des Arts, overlooking the river Seine in Paris, France, there is a fence with many padlocks. According to a romantic traditon,  if a lock with the initials or names of two people in love is placed on it, their love will be forever locked together. The keys are then tossed into the river below.

Paris is truly the city of Love.
The writer Ernest Hemingway said:

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Sushi Lovers

You don’t need to do what you love to be successful; rather, you need to love what you do. Put another way, if you love what you do, you never need to work.  A recent article in YOLO describes a sushi chef in the  the movie,  Jiro Dreams of Sushi . The film is about an 85 year-old Japanese man who owns the smallest three star Michelin restaurant in a subway station in Japan. He loves his work.

    What do you love about your job? The money, the people, the work, the challenge?

What would you do, if money was not a concern? The test of whether people love what they do is whether they'd do it even if they weren't paid for it—even if they had to work at another job to make a living. How you answer this question might lead you on the path to happiness.

Being a great sushi chef simply requires patience, humility and sensitivity. It takes 10 years of training to become a true sushi chef.  

 It's the same with your personal life. Look at your mate, love like a sushi chef. Hopefully, you can accomplish this in less than ten years.

Dandelion: Part 2

This next story about a dandelion is from a sermon:


MESSAGE OF THE DANDELION
   One morning, as I was leaving the house, I looked at our front yard, and it was a beautiful yellow. Our entire yard was full of dandelions. I don’t think our neighbors appreciated it, as their yards were spotless. Not a weed to be seen. They probably gasped at the sight of our dandelion strewn lawn. But I thought it beautiful, and let the otherwise viewed pest plant, live. Had we been dandelion salad or wine makers, this would have been the right time to harvest the lawn.
  That day, it was hot and dry. When I returned home in the evening, I was astonished as my beautiful yellow lawn, was a desolate field of dry stumps and white fluff. The dandelions had all in one day, gone to seed, and POOF were gone. 
Now, I know my neighbors are going to be mad!
Nonetheless, I saw a lesson to be learned. The harvest is now! It can’t wait.

Photo Credit

   For a short time dandelions are the earth's suns. For each of us, a short and brilliant flame. We should enjoy them for their profound beauty and the important message to enjoy life now.  In this song by Amy Winehouse, we are reminded that love sometimes doesn't last long either. Still it is worth a try, even over futile odds.


Happiness is the art of making a bouquet of those flowers within reach.
                      ~Robert Goddard,  British novelist

Dandelion: Part 1

This time of year, some people people think the dandelion is a flower, others say it is a weed. Various gardeners laugh and say it is  a weed. Some doctors of alternative medicine say it is an herb. And vineyards in California use the flowers for wine.

   Another view of the dandelion is told by a Buddhist monk  in this story below, which is taken from  the book The Gift of Well-Being

 As we were approaching the bridge which connects 

England and Scotland, I was struck by something on the pavement: a 

dandelion coming up through it. 

Smeaton's Seven Arched Bridge Connecting  England and Scotland

Normally, I wouldn't have noticed it, 

but because of the heightened state of awareness I was in at that 

moment, the dandelion seemed to jump up at me. I thought, "How did 

that dandelion get through the tarmac? Dandelions are so small." It 

struck me that, if it could think when it was underneath the asphalt 

that dandelion would have thought, "My goodness, this is not 

possible, it's too black and dense to even try!", because that was the 

apparent nature of things. 

 Fortunately, however, a dandelion doesn't think like this. It's in the 

nature of the dandelion to penetrate through the tarmac and to 

blossom. That's the way of the dandelion. It also happens to be the 

way of the human heart. Even when the apparent nature of things is 

so black and thick that it appears impenetrable, if we're present for 

life with concentrated attention, and not continually caught in our 

thinking, the heart will find its way through. 

    So now, when I think about the various possibilities of a dandelion, I also see it as a symbol of strength, wisdom and perseverance of the human heart.

The Day Before I Met You

 Until we meet the person we love, we seem to crawl around like cats on the floor. Then suddenly, you get lucky, you stand up straight and everything changes. When  the right person comes along, you can definitely say, "The day before I met you, was the last cloudy day of my life."

 Unlike the cat above, humans only live once. I hope you spend that life with someone you love.
   Enjoy this heart-felt tune by Paul Abro called The Day Before I Met You.

Shakespeare in Love

 The word sonnet comes from the Italian sonnetto, which means to play music or to make sounds. So sonnets should sound good; they should sound like songs, says Poet Laureate Emilio DeGrazia
Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare has been printed on wedding programs, recited at weddings, and appeared on a popular TV show. It  has a timeless and meaningful message to couples. Four of those messages are highlighted below:

       Let me not to the marriage of true minds
       Admit impediments. Love is not love   
       Which alters when it alteration finds,
       Or bends with the remover to remove:
       O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
       That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
       It is the star to every wandering bark,
       Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
       Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
       Within his bending sickle's compass come:
       Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
       But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

               If this be error and upon me proved,
               I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Photo Credit

This sonnet reminds me:
    1. to accept each other's imperfections
    2. to remain steady in your affection
          [love is  a lasting power and should shine through any difficulties (like a lighthouse or "mark" as
          it  was once called)]
     3. it should guide us  [In the seventh line, a nautical reference is made, alluding that love is much like the 
            North star (called Polaris) to sailors who are lost].
    4. that true love should last forever, 'tll death do us part

These four sentiments play loudly in my mind and heart.

Four Kisses

There are four kisses that are unforgettable in the cinema.

Kiss 1: The kiss that awakens Snow White


This is the kiss of true love. Prince Charming comes to Snow’s glass coffin and his love for her breaks the spell/poison she was under. Love truly does conquer all and this is the first Disney kiss to prove it.






Kiss 2:  The upside down kiss of Spider-Man

  Mary Jane thanks Spidey for rescuing her with a kiss. When Kirsten rolled back the mask, she cut off the air completely, said Tobey Maguire who played Spider-Man.
Regardless, Maguire and Dunst had charisma and chemistry, and that upside-down kiss remains as goofy-hot as ever [Entertainment Weekly]

Kiss 3: The kiss in the pouring rain from "The Notebook"
 
A reunion in the rain after years apart. Allie thinks Noah never wrote to her, but when she finds out he wrote a love letter every day, it's lip-locking time.

Kiss 4:  The kiss you will always remember from "Casablanca" 




     Play As Time Goes By  when you read this.
Reunited in Morocco because Ilsa needs Rick’s help saving her new husband from the Nazis, these old flames realize they still share sparks.  One of the screen’s most heartfelt romances.


   Each one of these kisses are unforgettable because the desire, the awakening of happiness, and the unfulfilled romance is so strong. Even years later, the passion still isn't over. For what better use do we need to hold our breath and kiss until the oxygen gives out?

Quiet Restaurants

  The singer Neil Diamond  only eats  at quiet restaurants to preserve his voice.  Quiet conversation is also romantic. How else can you listen to the dreams of your companion or hear the pitter-patter of  your own two hearts?
   At first, there is no need to go to sports bars or dance clubs where everyone is shouting to be heard. You must be able to hear the low rumble of what can only be best described as the quiet storm.
   The Nigerian-born singer Sade sings the message, softly and melodically:

There's a quiet storm

Sade Adu, British composer, singer, performer

And it never felt like this before        
There's a quiet storm
That is you
There's a quiet storm
And it never felt this hot before
Giving me something that's taboo

   If you want to hear that quiet storm, the best places are a quiet restaurant, a beach or on a river.
Here's a version of Sade's quiet storm in her song  The Sweetest Taboo.

   If you are near New York,  here is a list of restaurants to try from MENUPAGES.

   What is your favorite quiet place to listen to the quiet storm?  When you do, "every day will feel like Christmas, and every night like New Year's Eve."

The Answer Is Love

  How often do you think about love?  Does it fill your thoughts only at night or does it fill up your waking hours too? In the poem below, the writer Raymond Carver poses two essential questions.

Late Fragment

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.

    ~ Raymond Carver

 According to one poetry blog, Raymond Carver died relatively young of lung cancer. This very short poem says what was very important to him in his life – not wealth or fame, not even health, but to be beloved.  You are extremely fortunate if someone loves you,  and if you are beloved.
    Erich Fromm, psychologist,  seems to agree and said:
"(Real) love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” 

The First

Not many of us can be The First. For example, not everyone can be the first in their class to graduate as valedictorian. Not everyone can be first to win a division title. Not everyone can win the first prize in various contests.

    There is another First, however. This is the first time you see the person who will become your true love.

 Here is a great First Song by Roberta Flack called:

  The First Time Ever I Saw Your  Face

Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl

The song was written by the composer Ewan MacColl (pictured above).  Do you know the love story behind the song?
   Roberta Flack tells us in an interview:
Peggy Seeger was at a folk festival in Canada in the late ‘50s with her husband, and Ewan was with his wife there. Apparently he looked at Peggy and wrote the song: I thought the sun rose in your eyes, and the moon and stars were the gifts you gave, to the dark and empty skies. Wow. Peggy eventually became Ewan's wife. 

                         Here is another poet's view of the first time:


"At first glance, I loved you with a thousand hearts." - Mihri Hatun, 17th century Ottoman poet

Friendship and Love

Steve Jobs wanted Yo-Yo Ma to play at his wedding, but Ma was going to be out of the country and couldn't make it. A few months later, he visited Jobs and said, "This is what I would have played at your wedding." He played a Bach Cello Suite. Perhaps it was the one below.
  Close your eyes and imagine this is your special day as you listen to this piece of music. The tone is intimate and expressive. You cannot but be in awe of this wonderful musician's gift and talent.
  Because this video is filmed in winter and spring,  it seems to suggest that music, like love, endures through any weather.
   It is my belief that when friendship and love are brought together, that is when music begins.

Prelude of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1

Yo-Yo Ma

  "Love is a friendship set to music."
                  ~ E. Joseph Campbell

50 People One Question

               50 people are asked one single question in this popular online video series.
                      The question for these 50 people in lovely Galway, Ireland is:

                                                                       "What Is Your Biggest Life Regret?"

Cladagh Ring

 Listen to their responses. What do you regret?

   I like the answer by Hafiz:

One regret, dear world,
That I am determined not to have
When I am lying on my deathbed
Is that
I did not kiss you enough. 
Hafiz

The Heart of Life

Photo Credit - Grey Villet

                                                       

When you reach the heart of life you shall find beauty in all things, even in the eyes that are blind to beauty.  ~Kahlil Gibran


         There was a time when Virginia was not for lovers. That time was 1965, when an interracial married couple was arrested and put on trial for miscegenation.  The couple's names were Richard and Mildred  Loving. The film,  The Loving Story , is based on a LIFE magazine article that was photographed by Grey Villet. Barbara Villet, Grey's wife is quoted in a NY Times article to say: 

"Grey did not concern himself with those entanglements. He chose, as he did in every essay we ever worked on together, to seek out the literal heart of the matter: a love story."
   
                                  Love is stronger than hate, and justice, even though blind can see that.

The Glow

The writer Corban Addison, in his book A Walk Across the Sun said, "we can make a difference--one word, one gift, one life at a time."

     Here is one word that can make a difference:

  Another word is love.  Love is a gift. You can't buy it, you can only share it.


  In  The United States Declaration of Independence , which was primarily drafted by Thomas Jefferson, and  adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Jefferson believed "that all men are created equal" and are endowed with certain rights: "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
   In his lifetime,  Thomas Jefferson also wrote:      

     

               The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. 




Your life and each new morning is a gift. Look around you and see if you can open your heart a little more and pass on that gift to others. Your gift is more precious than gold and its glow can last a lifetime. 

52nd Street

I recently read about a church leader in Madison, Missouri who noticed the burn out in his wife's eyes from taking on too many jobs. When he realized that he needed to do something, he transitioned her away from her work at the preschool and nursery.

   He also changed the name of the Nursery and Preschool to 52nd Street.
Now I  don't know why he changed the name, but it's a lot cooler than saying, "I'm going to Sunday School."
   There is a music album called 52nd Street by Billy Joel. It is listed as one of the top 500 record albums of all time.

Joel says he named the album 52nd Street because that was the address of his recording studio in New York  and also the the place where a lot of jazz musicians recorded their songs and gathered.
  Jazz is about transformation, relaxation and change. That seems a great way to re-energize any relationship. The pastor was smart to recognize the importance of change and untenable circumstances.
    It is a sign of love to look at the one you love the most and make some changes to lessen the exhaustion.
 
   Here's a song by Billy Joel from the album 52nd Street called My Life.
Find your own 52nd Street and leave your troubles behind.
   

A Place In Your Heart

There are spaces in our body that  can only be filled by another's touch. These spaces are between our fingers, between our lips and inside our heart. The heart can best be reached by the touch of a sweet tender word or song.
 
     I heard those precious words that reached my heart a few days ago from an old television show called My So-Called Life:


“Sometimes someone says something really small and it just fits into this empty place in your heart.”

Photo Credit

            A song that reaches that place in the heart is from Tracy Chapman called The Promise

The Giver of Light

Because of love
I have become
the giver of light.
   ~Rumi

Photo Credit

                                                                                        
                                                                   Open up your heart and let the Light shine in.   ~ Colin Hay


                                        A man in Japan effectively used the solar eclipse to propose to his
                                           girlfriend.  I think this ring is worth a thousand diamonds.


                     

First Smile

  On his great musical hit  Suddenly,  international recording artist Billy Ocean reaches stardom when he sings,
 
                      I used to think that love was just a fairy tale.
                                   Until that first hello
                                   Until that first smile.
     
   According to WebMD, "starting between 6 and 8 weeks of life, babies develop a social smile - an
intentional gesture of warmth meant just for you. This is an important milestone."
    Fast forward to later in life and Forbes magazine tells us we know within 7 seconds of meeting someone, if we want to continue that relationship.  The Forbes article, Seven Seconds to Make a First Impression, recommends we smile.
 

Photo Credit

    For those in love, the smile comes without effort. You know when you know you're in love.
It may be from that first smile or the first hello, whether you're a baby or a babe.

The Mirror Has Two Faces

I  watched a movie the other day called The Mirror Has Two Faces.  The main characters are  two Columbia University professors, one teaches mathematics, the other literature; both are looking for romantic love.  The English professor,  played by Barbara Streisand is unsuccessful in her relationships, because as she says, "when it's right you should hear Pucccini music playing in the background." The movie is a funny and endearing love story and I recommend it for those who like a storybook romance.

    Here is the aria "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's opera "Turandot"  sung by opera's biggest superstar Luciano Pavarotti. For those who have been in love or are in love, you probably have heard
this song before, especially when you are hugging your soulmate.  The song is about love's ability to conquer all.
 
    When Pavarotti died, the line of mourners formed around his birthplace home in Modena, Italy to remember a great tenor's voice, his pristine sound, and the singing from his soul. His talent and appeal reached far beyond opera lovers, and probably included all lovers in general.

Everest

   Mount Everest  is symbolic of the biggest challenges in life.

   Mount Everest in Nepal is in fact 29,035 feet (8.850 meters) above sea level and is the tallest mountain on earth.  How high would you climb to be with the one you love? 
   Only one couple in the world has ever climbed that summit and they did it together. Their names are Phil and Susan Ershler. How do you climb it?  Susan Ershler says "with the determination to put one foot in front of the other no matter how tough it gets."
   Read their saga of love and courage.

  Are there any mountains you have to climb today? Listen to what they did for an encore.

Marriage Proposal

A marriage proposal doesn't have to be original, complicated or expensive, but it should be unforgettable.

More magazine describes the marriage proposal of Jill Adamson, the first female executive editor of the prestigious newspaper, The New York Times:

"It was during her sophomore year at Harvard that Abramson met her future husband, Henry Griggs, a preppy musician with a hank of dark hair falling over his forehead.
Griggs proposed to her in 1980, on a ferry ride from Nantucket, upwind, he says, of the diesel fumes, and they married the following year. The pair have been together ever since, a longevity Griggs chalks up to “complementary personalities. For example, I don’t eat pizza crust, and she loves it.”


  If you're not near the ocean, maybe even a pizza parlor will do. Maybe the chef will draw the first initial of your beloved into the tomato sauce, making  a big letter out of the mushrooms or spinach. 
Or maybe you should just write it  on the plate so the message is clear.

Photo Credit

The Opening of Eyes

The Opening of Eyes

That day I saw beneath dark clouds 
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.


photo credit

It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing
speaking out loud in the clear air.

It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.

                   ~ David Whyte

There are different ways to interpret any poem. One person told me this poem is about living in the present moment. I thought it means to find love again. Perhaps tomorrow, it will signify something else to you. Everyday has many ways to let the light in.  Once you do, the only remaining emotion is to feel astonished.

Twins

    Twins are romantic. Two people born together sharing everything.  Two people created at the same time, interconnected because they share the same birthplace and gestation.
    Isn't romantic love like that? Two people come together and share everything. Love brings two people together and something special is born together.
    Twins are rare - about 1 of every 100 births.  Enduring love is also rare. Yet, when two people find themselves enjoying each other's company, experiencing similar traits and compatibilities and discovering a mutual likeness in each other, that match is extraordinary.
    Identical twin sisters Christina and Michelle Naughton (pictured above), who studied at the Curtis Institue of Music,  play piano equally well as soloists, but when they come together, that's when the magic begins.
    The duo will be in concert at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Orchestra . I am sure it will be a romantic evening.

Cruise to Nowhere

Disney has a two-day "Cruise to Nowhere" that leaves the harbor in New York, sails into the Atlantic Ocean with no destination and comes back to the original Port of Call in two days. If you are with the one you love, the destination doesn't matter. The journey is all that is important.  Each of us is on a voyage that we call life. What matters most are the depths of the relationship you build, not  the depths of the sea.

Photo Credit / Getty Image

Find a journey that is important to you. Take that  journey with someone special now.
The time you spend together can be measured, but memories are timeless.

The Sight of the Stars

I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream -Vincent Van Gogh
 I found this quote on a web log called This Heart of Mine. 

             Look up, look up tonight and dream. Cherish your dreams
  Watch this beautiful excerpt from the movie  DREAMS "Vincent Van Gogh" by Akira Kurosawa

The Kiss

    While looking for some tickets to the Philadelphia  Museum of Art, I discovered  this sculpture by the artist Constantin Brancusi entitled "The Kiss".  The statue is part of their permanent collection. It would be a perfect place to take someone you love.  Just visit this one work of art, kiss each other, then leave the building.  I like the comment about this artwork on Pictify by  Giulla Scudler.  She sums up this romantic kiss in just five words:


                                                                                   love: one soul, one stone.