I’m lying wrapped up in bed, watching the stars outside. I can see Orion’s Belt and a myriad of others. I always loved the stars. You know, when you were a kid some people were obsessed with drawing (doodling) hearts, but I always liked to draw stars. Maybe I fit a heart or two in there too, but stars filled my pages.
One of my favorite movies is Stardust, because it’s just so filled with stars and…magic… I always wondered why people built massive film sets with wonderful, wonderful creativity and then went home and slept in some cramped apartment? They just created a castle on set! I mean life is just so filled with opportunities for magic! To create a home, to go on a picnic, to dance the night away, to sip wine in Paris, to go on an adventure…riding into the sunset in Africa…uh, where was I again? What I mean is just life is beautiful and there are so many gorgeous moments to be had AND to create. Moments that make you sparkle with love…love for life and people. (In Stardust Claire Danes sparkles when she feels love…and as cheesy as it may sound, I think it’s true: love makes you sparkle.)
I used to sit with my dad on the boat at night in summer time and look up at the sky. We only had an oil lamp burning and on a clear night you could see the whole sky sparkle. I loved those moments of quiet. Well, maybe not entire silence. The waves would gently splash against the hull and the ropes would croak as the boat swayed. We would talk too at times. As I looked up into the night sky it both frightened me and soothed me to realize how small I was compared to the great beyond. The Universe, whatever that is. I have no clue of what is out there. I am here thinking my life evolves around me and I’m trying to figure out my own purposes, but this world is filled with people who all think life evolves around them.
To me these moments when you realize the beauty and fascination/mystery of life have always been magical. As I see it, life is pretty much all about that. About indulgence. About having a mind and a heart so free of worry that you can truly indulge in every splendid moment of life. And about sharing those moments with others who feel the same appreciation. Who see the same beauty you do. To go out and create those moments with people….from creating a theater show with the most amazing cast and crew and a business with the most amazing staff, to creating a home, a relationship, an adventure…everything! Add spice to life. Love life together with someone. There is nothing much more precious than that.
So often in my life I’ve been with people, and shared beautiful moments like traveling, or staying up all night and watching the sunrise, and I knew those were special moments. But something was always wrong. I wished I’d been with someone else. (They both laugh) I knew that what I was feeling, exactly what was so important to me, they didn’t understand. But I’m happy to be with you. – Celine, Before Sunrise
*Moments…*
…from Stardust…one of my favorite cheesy monologues from that movie..:
You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn’t true. I know a lot about love. I’ve seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate… It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves… You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and… What I’m trying to say, Tristan is… I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I’d know it for myself. My heart… It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it’s trying to escape because it doesn’t belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I’d wish for nothing in exchange – no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine. -Yvaine
