The Bridge #81
in which we chase after love
Hello
& Welcome to The Bridge!
We don’t have much time.
j/k we have plenty of time. It’s just that with the days getting shorter and the sense of urgency being a thing we’re encouraged to feel so often, I thought I’d just pretend for a moment that we were secret agents and I have an important message for you:
Something Fun
“Gooseberries” by Anton Chekhov
The short story (written over a century ago) is included in the collection A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders, which offers as well some commentary, so I read both the story and the commentary at some point last month, and it was a genuine pleasure to read.
If you haven’t the time to read the story, I hope you find time for happiness today. (because that’s what the story is pretty much about)
To be happy OR maybe rather to be irritable because of rain: We can be out for a walk and it’s sunny and as long as we don’t have our phones and don’t have any whiners with us either, we’ll enjoy the scenery… at least until our feet ache, or it starts pouring rain. Then maybe it’s right to complain?
If we were to look at a man who spends his life getting rich and then buys a large estate for the simple pleasure of growing his own gooseberries, and we’re invited to taste the gooseberries ourselves because the man is our brother, and the tasting reminds us that we haven’t ourselves had a very clear ambition other than to help others, but d*mn if the berries aren’t in fact bitter… is it all an illusion? It could be. Should we be sad? Maybe? Should we enjoy a bath in the lake with our friends? I guess? These are the types of questions the story raises.
& the moral maybe is no matter what life brings, Life is to be loved.
Something to Listen to
“One More Dance” by Miriam Makeba
Mama Africa is legendary. She became so famous for her singing (30+ albums, several world tours) and stayed true to her origins.
Though two countries she’d called ‘home’ at some point refused her re-entry, she was given a passport by nine other countries and offered honorary citizenship by ten more. All around the world, she was very loved.
She sang in different styles and languages, and she became friends with many incredible people. Though rarely overtly political, she didn’t shy away from celebrating who she is (and those whom she came to represent). She kept singing and performing… all her long life.
“One More Dance” is a song she first recorded in 1960. In the video shared above, she sings it much later in life. It’s pretty hilarious. Love often is.
Something Serious (a story I made up)
This is how I met your mother:
You know the TV show Bachelorette? It was a little like that, a competition to decide who would marry the most beautiful woman in the realm (named Salwedepaz). We had one day to find something of great value and give it to her. It was intense!
When we all met up in the evening the first guy (I don’t remember his name) said he’d searched all over the jewelry district and saw nothing special. Sure, he could afford a 52-carat diamond necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels, but he knew what Salwedepaz really wanted was a ring reflecting her personality, and an opal would do just the trick. For the woman was known for her colorful ways, shining bright like a sparkling rainbow. “Very nice,” she said.
Next up, the second guy competing against me (we’ll call him Guy #2) explained what he’d found: He’d done some research and talked to a few friends, and he’d figured out it had always been the dream of Salwedepaz to visit India, so he’d booked places to stay and plane tickets to visit all the major cities, for he said an experience is more memorable than any physical object. Salwedepaz expressed appreciation for his thoughtful gift.
Now it was my turn. I told them I’d also considered jewelry as an option, and I’d almost booked a trip to India as well, but after seeing an old couple holding hands on a park bench, the spark of love still in their eyes after so many years, I realized the greatest gift of all is a committed partner who sticks with you through thick and thin.
“That’s so sweet of you,” she said. “You’ve a heart of gold. But, to be honest, I was really hoping to go to India. It’s been on my mind a long time, so I’m picking Guy #2 [she said his real name, which was maybe Joe or Jim, but I forget].”
“But wait,” she said to me, “before you go — I know a woman with a heart like yours. She lives in Coeur d’Alene Idaho. You can tell her I sent you.” And so I began my adventure (to find your mother).
Something to Practice
Give yourself a hug. Why not, right? OR laugh out loud, even when alone.
When it’s cold outside, and even when it isn’t, we can bring ourselves some joy.
Woman, go home, your husband is ill. /
Is he ill? Let them give him a pill. /
Oh, come my dear Franz, just one more dance, /
Then I'll go home to my poor old man, /
Come now, let’s dance.
JPC 🎤🎶😎