Reverb 11: Day 8: Five Minutes
Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2011 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2011.
- Waking to gongs and drums and novice monks walking barefoot collecting alms, in Laos
- Wandering the temple ruins in Champasak, Laos; a beautiful Buddha revealing itself surprisingly when I reached the top.
- Listening to the sounds of insects and pentatonic cowbells in southern Laos. Pure magic.
- Playing with the slowed-down sounds of Laos in my laptop piece, especially the magical sound of the slowed down crickets and cowbells.
- Being thanked by J., N., and J. for being a wonderful teacher.
- H. braving no sleep to come to my show, wait around to clean up the reception with me, then have an amazing conversation with me late into the night – our first time hanging out alone.
- Road tripping at the end of school, listening to Yo La Tengo and Stereolab.
- H. telling me, under the stars, “You can be honest with me.”
- Eating the most amazing chocolate cake on a lark with H. Everything feeling so easy and effortless.
- My nephew P. running hard and breathlessly when I was leaving town to give me an enormous, heartfelt hug. He was afraid he had missed me.
- Watching early Pink Panther cartoons with P.
- Staying with my sorrow when H. seemed to have decided to move to Chicago with the GF, and feeling the tender, wild beauty within myself.
- Playing in the waves, diving in and out of them, at the end of summer.
- My student J., who put her all into every artwork and critique.
- Brushing hands with H. while making caramel
- A long hug with H. after she told me her fears about her mom.
- Playing with the postcard photographs in Lightroom
- My mom telling me she had saved up $5000 to help me with trying to have a child.
- Feeling centered and relaxed and good, if a bit scared, about following my heart and leaving town to travel and figure out where I will live next and raise my kid.
- H. saying, when I told her about the caves in Crete, “I want to go. Let’s go.”
- H. telling me, when I worried our three hour conversation about her possible breakup and my current fears was too much: “It was good that we talked. We had a lot to talk about.” And emailing me a few days later that my email made her night.
I’m a little uncomfortable about how many of these memories involve H. It scares me to think that she may not feel as strongly as I do. At the same time, she is the most significant thing to happen to my life in a long time, whether or not it becomes something. It is so enormously nourishing to feel like someone else truly cares about me. It is such a huge gift. Thank you, H.
