29 September ’24

T —

A bee stung me today.

(I did not deserve that!)

I didn’t kill the bee.

I felt bad for it.

She sacrificed herself, for nothing.

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My friend repeats this story every time we hang out.

(At first I thought, it was because of the alcohol.

Now I think, she just wanted me to remember it.)

When she was in Taiwan, she went to a shaman.

(A super famous guy that people pay millions to see.

She is very well connected, so he “read” her for free.)

He just looks at her.

Then he asks her —Can I touch you?

(Her friend’s translating.)

She’s thinking —WTF!

He stands up, walks behind her, and presses his finger…above her butt crack.

She cries out in pain.

He says —You’ll have trouble giving birth because of that.

That was her tail bone, broken years earlier: skiing accident.

It had never healed properly.

Some know, just by looking, where the broken places are.

They can help you heal.

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I really love the beach, water and sand.

Sand fascinates me, especially wet sand.

It holds all this water — it’s like magic.

I suppose, if you put fresh water on wet sand, eventually, it would force the old water out.

The soul is like sand:

Pain gives way to love…

…just keep adding more love.

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When I lived with V., we had this coffee table — blonde wood, maybe pine or birch.

One day, one of us put a highlighter-orange flyer on the table and then a cold beer on top.

(dumb)

Result: a nasty orange stain — a ring — right in the middle of the table.

We never blamed each other. We never could remove it.

It bothered us.

Fast forward a few months. Her mother comes. I wasn’t there.

Somehow, her mother got it out. We don’t know exactly how.

You could not see it at all. It was gone…

Years later, I still think of this.

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I watch too much television.

(That’s how I find things.)

eg, This has stuck with me:

—So worship me. So that when spring comes, you and I will have become different people.

—How do you worship someone?

—You cheer them on. You tell them they can do anything and that everything is possible. You cheer them on.

—Are you sure? That you and I will have become different people when spring comes?

—I’m positive.

(You can find truth anywhere.)

Shakespeare was once pop culture.

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(Honestly though, love is much, much simpler:

—When she smiles, you smile with her.)

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I’m sure I told you, I wrote a poem in first-grade.

I read it out loud.

They loved it.

I felt proud.

So proud.

What if that never happened?

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Stumbled upon some acting quotes:

—A human being experiencing extreme emotions right in front of our very eyes is really an amazing bit of magic.

—There is almost nothing as beautiful or powerful as a human being whose every cell is alive with streaming energy and intelligence, as seen in truly great performances in music, dance or theater.

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You want to do something that thrills your brain.

I want to do something that thrills my heart.

Are they the same thing?

🤔

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Flying Asiana Airlines 203 to Seoul, arriving Friday, October 4th, 4:20 a.m., then taking N6701 to Mapo station.

Checking in at the Shilla Stay Mapo Hongdae, freshening up, then dozing off (before obsessing over outfits).

Will then need some strong, black coffee — say 10 a.m.?

(I’m buying.)

Look for the dapper, elegant gentleman in the white hat…

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FIGHTING!

— D

P.S. My KakaoTalk ID: dahernandez