The shortest blog post ever (maybe).

A cool, introspective writer and a beautiful woman.

I love this quote and photo of Joan Didion… the statement so perfectly represents how I feel moving through the bramble bush that my 40s are turning out to be.

And the photo… the other day in a moment just like any other moment, I noticed a strong urge to smoke a cigarette arise—it was the first in a very long time. Then I remembered that it’s something I don’t do anymore. And I continued on with my day.

(Now maybe that doesn’t seem noteworthy—an old addiction randomly cold-calling me in the middle of an ordinary day like a past lover. But man, to me it’s freedom, and that IS worth noting).

Growing older looks a lot like growing away, much like a branch reaching for a different tree. Away from the pains of our past and who we thought we were once upon a time. Like a snake shedding its skin or a uterus shedding its lining for the last time. 

Giving up a thing and getting on with something else (to be determined), in total confusion and with absolute reverence.

There will never be another time in my life like this. 

Hallelujah. 

“There comes a moment when something begins to move in you — a quickening — a sense of being called forward by life.” – Alexandra Pope 

Quickening /ˈkwik(ə)niNG/ – becoming more stimulated or lively. (Oxford Languages)

– “the point at which a pregnant woman can first feel the movements of the growing embryo or fetus, has long been considered a pivotal moment in pregnancy.” (Embryo Project Encyclopedia).