A tribute.

...Some of the products of time spent alone and of the giving spirit. They're silly and small, I know, but I feel great about getting so much done. Things like this are more meditative than anything else, and it's given me a lot of time to think and relax.

Lately, I've been having lots of "unconscious bubble-ups," as a dear friend once said, and they include certain people I have been fortunate enough to know and they've made an unmistakable and lasting impression on me. The majority of them were people who fleeted in and out of my life (chance encounters, high school acquaintances...) and for whatever reason...though I'm willing to bet it's the recent full lunar eclipse of a moon in Gemini...the things these people have had in common stand out to me and I have become all the more grateful for the opportunity to have known them once and always. They're spread throughout the country, and a few are overseas but they are all so distinctly inspiring and admirable to me, even though I may never have the pleasure of encountering some of them again. These were people who had such remarkable energy and personal solidarity that they now let out little sparkles in my memory. They are luminescent. They are timeless. They are unconditional. And during times of reflection and quiet, I see them, for an instant, in my mind, like beacons, for whatever reason, and I am happy. To these people, though I make the assumption that most will never get this thank you, I want to say that I am grateful to have met you and I truly hope that you are where you wish to be and that you are happy there because you deserve it. There are people through whom I have felt genuinely connected to the ground and through whom I have felt truly connected to dreams, and I wish them only the happiest of holidays and only the best in the year (and years) to come.

Thank you for being here too, for it is far too complex and far too simple to ever be easy. And we all help each other, though we may not even be aware.

Happy Holidays, everyone.