To the end of the world.

"I couldn't convince you that the blue you see is the same blue that I see.  But maybe that how lovers know they're meant to love; they see the same blue.  And they both know it."

-unknown

My sister Kelly introduced me to this Dave song when I visited Rhode Island a few months ago.  We were in her car driving to Newport; ocean air and sunlight flooding through the open windows as we cruised through our familiar state; shared memories rushing back with every town we passed, and this song playing so loudly you could feel it in your chest.  Like it was a part of you. You see, that's what music truly is: a part of you. It's a reflection of what you go through. And maybe that's why we like to play the songs that we love most as loudly as possible. :)

"Wanna pack your bags, Something small
Take what you need and we disappear
Without a trace we'll be gone, gone
The moon and the stars can follow the car
and then when we get to the ocean
We gonna take a boat to the end of the world
All the way to the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough
We're gonna teach them to fly

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yes, yes

You and I, we're not tied to the ground
Not falling but rising like rolling around
Eyes closed above the rooftops
Eyes closed, we're gonna spin through the stars
Our arms wide as the sky
We gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world
To the end of the world...."

Souls counterpoint.

Because whenever we pass, flashes of our future rush through me. Waves of us, filled with hopes, triumphs, the love we make, the babies, our laughs, our tears, the falling, the dawn, the dark, the failures, the getting back up and dusting ourselves off again... and then again.  I can see you, me, the now, the then, the always, the days, the nights, and the tomorrows.
 I long to reach out, to grasp your hand, just so you can feel it too. 
Let it sweep us both away.
The hurricane of forever. The storm.
But instead, I shake off the dizziness, 
steady my legs.......

and keep on walking.


Photo source: here

I want you to know.

I want you to know that the doubts fade, and the bad days end.  That time heals pain, and dark clouds are necessary in order to see the light.  That people are too busy judging themselves to be judging you.  That love is as real and perfect as you want it to be, and that passion is what keeps us alive. That life contradicts itself constantly, surprising us in ways we would have never believed.  That every single morning, you are renewed with the sunrise, and when you wake, you have a choice and you have a chance.  The choice you make now, in this very moment will affect your future.  Forever.  And the chances you are drawn to should taken.  Even when they seem like risks.  Remember that you are not alone.  You never were.  And I want you to know that no matter what it may be that you are going through right now, 

your life is beautiful.

And so are you.


Photo source: here

X&Y.

Burning like a star at the edge of the world
 while it's ending and another begins.

 I'd study you until your chemistry turned into art,
and your science into poetry. 

Heat and radiation,
 explosions, and reactions.
Around and around in an endless circle.

Because when we meet, 
I don't know where you end and I begin.

"Trying hard to speak and
Fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can

I'm diving off the deep end
You become my best friend
I wanna love you
But I don't know if I can
I know something is broken
And I'm trying to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way I can

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh...

You and me are floating on a tidal wave...
Together
You and me are drifting into outer space...
And singing

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh...

You and me are floating on a tidal wave...
Together
You and me are drifting into outer space
You and me are floating on a tidal wave...
Together
You and me are drifting into outer space...
And singing

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh... "

An update.

Happy Saturday. :)

 I may be keeping it really short and sweet for the next couple of weeks (and may not) because I have a lot going on, as well as big decisions to make, a busy schedule, etc. I will continue to blog however, as this is my refuge where I can sort of let both my soul and imagination come out and play. :) 

This truly has not been my week. ;) I had to recover from a cold, had a fender bender ("car accident" just sounds so harsh to say!) resulting in a very scratched car, a hurt dog (she's ok thank goodness!),  car insurance companies calling (not my fav), and some whip lash I've been nursing in my bath.  I've also been stepping up the fitness after slacking off for a few weeks, and although it hurts soooo good, geez, it hurts!  It's been cold in SF, I've been back to work, dealing with some homesickness, and also back in a few classes, and although they feel great, they definitely strap the schedule a bit, taking me away from my sacred blogging hours.  That's alright though.  I'll still be on here as much as possible, and life is just really, really good overall. :) 

 Time has also (admittedly) been getting to me a little.  Next month marks my five year anniversary of moving to the west coast and although I've become a woman here, it sometimes frightens me how quickly the days, months and years fly.  I feel we go through certain cycles and somehow I feel strongly that this particular cycle is over and it's time to really consider moving on to another. Also, the stores are beginning to carry Halloween candy.  I'll be turning twenty eight this Halloween, and somehow that's a bit frightening as well.  Again, time.  Time slips away so, so fast, and because of this, I do my best to live each and every day as fully as possible, both leading with my heart and standing strong in love.

Well that was my little vent.  This weekend will be amazing, however.  I'm going to drive to the redwoods which are also my refuge, and breathe in the gorgeous fresh air, feeling their ancient energy (excuse the hippie in me ), and hang out with some great friends here I haven't seen in awhile.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend and you are ready for the loveliest few months of every year..... late summer to early autumn.  There will be much, much more to come on that as late August through late October is my favorite time. :)  

xo

V

"You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere where you feel free."
-Tom Petty

Find a spot for us to spark.

Ahhh the sweet summers of being eighteen to twenty one years old on Block Island, Rhode Island. 

 I was fortunate to spend three months each year (for four consecutive years) working on a seven mile long island resembling an absolute New England dream; green coastline, lighthouses, white colonial buildings, saltwater ponds, hiking trails that stretched to cliffs and breathtaking beaches so clean it's as though they were never touched by the hundreds of daytime tourists or nightly parties with bonfires that raged 'til sunrise.  May through September were magic.  And you all know by now that I heart magic. :)

One of my closest friends Tracy introduced me to this song one evening as we were sitting around our room, small and cozy underneath the local island pharmacy; burning incense and filling our heads with the day's latest island stories- stories that I now know will live on forever.  This song "A long walk" is sultry, stimulating, and poetic. ME like poetic?  Nooooooo.  Not Victoria. ;p  Do yourself a favor- turn this one up and read the lyrics.  Yes.  Become a lyric, poetic person. Why?  Because words are life and the images that come through this particular song are bliss.  Put yourself in it, love it, and live it. ;) There's nothing like amazing conversation and verbal elation.  The mind is powerful and the meeting of two minds that connect is basically an explosion of space and time.... at least for me.

Jill Scott.

"You're here, I'm pleased

I really dig your company

Your style, your smile, your peace mentality

Lord, have mercy on me

I was blind, now I can see

What a king's supposed to be

Baby I feel free, come on and go with me

Let's take a long walk around the park after dark

Find a spot for us to spark

Conversation, verbal elation, stimulation

Share our situations, temptations, education, relaxations

Elevations, maybe we can talk about Surah 31:18

Your background it ain't squeaky clean shit

Sometimes we all got to swim upstream

You ain't no saint, we all are sinners

But you put your good foot down and make your soul a winner

I respect that, man you're so phat

And you're all that, plus supreme

Then you're humble man I'm numb

Yo with feeling, I can feel everything that you bring

Let's take a long walk around the park after dark

Find a spot for us to spark

Conversation, verbal elation, stimulation

Share our situations, temptations, education, relaxations

Elevations, maybe we can talk about Revelation 3:17

Or maybe we can see a movie

Or maybe we can see a play on Saturday (Saturday)

Or maybe we can roll a tree and feel the breeze and listen to a symphony

Or maybe chill and just be, or maybe

Maybe we can take a cruise and listen to the Roots or maybe eat some passion fruit

Or maybe cry to the blues

Or maybe we could just be silent

Come on, Come on

Let's take a long walk around the park after dark

Find a spot for us to spark

Conversation, verbal elation, stimulation

Share our situations, temptations, education, relaxations

Elevations, maybe we can talk about Psalms in entirety

Or maybe we can see a movie

Or maybe we can see a play on Saturday (Saturday)

Or maybe we can roll a tree and feel the breeze and listen to a symphony

Or maybe chill and just be, or maybe

Maybe we can take a cruise and listen to the Roots or maybe eat some passion fruit

Or maybe cry to the blues

Or maybe we could just be silent

Come on, Come on

Let's take a long walk around the park after dark

Find a spot for us to spark

Conversation, verbal elation, stimulation

Share our situations, temptations, education, relaxations

Elevations, maybe baby, maybe we can save the nation

Come on, Come on"

The invitation.

Morning. :)

 For some reason I came down with a cold within the last three hours, and despite a hot lavender bath, fresh air flooding through my windows, my super sweet dog, and two cups of chamomile tea, I'm still feeling pretty yucky. :(

Since I can't seem to fall back asleep, I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces of writing of all time.  This is  called "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, and when I first heard it at nineteen years old, it really hit home.  This is when you know someone, and this is what's important. Enjoy. :)

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children. 

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments."

Just believe.

‎"You have a special place in the world. All you have to do is find it. Do not give up on yourself, your instincts, your heart, or on the truths you have realized. Do not give in to those who would crush your dreams. And never turn away from forever love." ~ E Hopkins

"Another day....
Just breathe. 
Another day.... 

Just believe."


Oh and remember this.... 

The unsayable.

I'm baaaaack!   I've been feeling a lot of inspiration as of late, so don't worry- there is much to come, friends. I do want to say this though- hold the moments that are unsayable close to you.  You know the moments I'm talking about- the ones that are so special you can't even find the right words. They will forever live on in your heart with you- keeping you alive and vibrating, as well as holding you together.

"Things aren't all so tangible and sayable as people would usually have us believe;

 some experiences are actually unsayable, 

they happen in a space that no word has ever entered, 

and more unsayable than all other things are works of art, 

those mysterious existences, 

whose life endures beside our own small transitory life."

-Rainer Maria Rilke

I don't know about you guys but I really like the idea of going and getting lost

 every now and then.

 Driving for hours with no destination.  

Spontaneity.  

Stumbling upon inspiration.  

Following your internal guide.  

Coming across answers.

Finding yourself again.

Having unsayable moments.

I hope you're having a wonderful night, and I'll be seeing you soon on here.

xo 

Hymns to the silence.

I hope everyone had a great Tuesday.  If not, I have something that just might soothe you to the core. ;)  Before we get to "Hymns to the silence" here's something I can absolutely appreciate regarding silence:

Ok kiddos, I've got to keep this brief tonight but I've been listening to a lot of Van Morrison the past few days and this song could very well be the soundtrack to anyone's life. Sadness.  Happiness.  A love.  A birth.  A wedding.  A death.  It seems to fit with any of them.  Turn this one up, close your eyes, and let it flow through you until the very end.  Gorgeous.

3:10- "Til the midnight.... til the midnight I burn the candle at both ends, burn the candle at both ends....."   I just love it.  Sigggghhhh. :)

Sweet dreams. 

Dreams align.

Sleeping and waking are beautiful things.

 Miracles in the cycle of life. 

When doing so with the one you love 

hour after hour, night after night....

 is how your dreams collide.

And then align.


Photo source: here

I'll be there, always.

"I sometimes struggle for air" you said

"as though I'm gasping for life."

When pressure takes hold 

And grips on too tight
Remember this-
I'll be there, always
To show you the light. 


Image source: here

To remind you where to stop.

"A few times in my life I’ve had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be." 

-Unknown

I like the Norwegian duo, Kings of Convenience. They're really mellow, you guys.  So don't listen unless you would prefer to quiet your mind, think about life, and unravel from a hectic day. Two soft voices.  Two gentle, acoustic guitars. And a guest appearance by the ever lovely Feist who comes in at 2:04 and sweeps us all off of our feet (as usual) with her stunning vocals. "The spinning top made a sound like a train across the valley..."  SIGH.  Great song.  Happy Friday, everyone. :)

"The spinning top made a sound

like a train across the valley,

fading, oh so quiet but constant til it passed,

over the ridge

into the distances

written on your ticket to remind you where to stop,

and when to get off."

Photo source: here

A few lovely things.

Hi friends. ;) I hope you're about to have a fabulous August day.  Another girlish entry I know, but again, I'm very girly. :)

I've come across a few things I've found to be so, so lovely and just wanted to share them this morning, as I'm in a very esthetically appreciative type of mood...  even more so than usual. :)

This simple explanation of happiness...

Flowy, summery dresses.  We are nearing the end of summer and I'm already missing them.

Elegant black balconies and verandas to sit on or beside, and watch nothing, yet everything all at once. 

Silvery white, dreamy spaces to sleep with natural light spilling into the room...

Fresh fruit...

Country life....

This "Gone with the Wind" quote....

Tree houses because I think it'd be interesting to camp out in one for one night; perhaps under an enormous clear sky, wrapped in warm blankets, breathing in the fresh air and listening to the rustling of leaves as you sleep?  I'm certain a tree house would be an inspiring place to write. ;)

Breakfast in bed...

Fuschia colored flowers....

And watching the sun rise over the hills....

xoxoxoxo