65. What I’m Talking About In This Talking About Love
Welcome to The Dossier #65 which everyone knows is “the age of retirement.” I personally cannot wait that long :-)
Oh, and if you’ve found your way over by some miracle (someone forwarding this to you!) but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
Friends,
It’s Sunday. I hope this email finds you calm.
Grab a glass of water, here’s five things of internet goodness for you.
1. A Poem
This may have just made it into my top 3 Mary Oliver poems ever.
Not Anyone Who Says — Mary Oliver
Not anyone who says, “I’m going to be
careful and smart in matters of love,”
who says, “I’m going to choose slowly,”
but only those lovers who didn’t choose at all
but were, as it were, chosen
by something invisible and powerful and uncontrollable
and beautiful and possibly even
unsuitable —
only those know what I’m talking about
in this talking about love.
2. Winds of Wonder
This magical book by Tehran-born, Melbourne-based photographer Hoda Afshar on the Islands of the Strait of Hormuz, off the southern coast of Iran.
“On the islands of the Strait of Hormuz, near the southern coast of Iran, there is a belief that the winds — generally believed to be harmful — can possess a person, causing them to experience illness or disease. As part of a ritual placating the winds’ harmful effects, the islands’ inhabitants practice a ceremony involving incense, music and movement, in which a hereditary cult leader speaks with the wind through the afflicted patient in order to negotiate its exit.”
3. Just Trust Me
Fear and the Attachment to Quick Results.
“Fear is the craving for safety. A mind that is dominated by fear is a mind that is still in survival mode. Even when there is relative calmness in our external environment, a mind that lives in survival mode will have a defensive stance and will often explore imaginary scenarios of what could go wrong as a way to remain prepared. There is nothing wrong with being mindful of our safety, but too easily this can fall into an extreme where our anxiety is always on high alert.
Living through fear keeps us far away from peace.”
4. Sparking Joy
Joy Yamusangie’s artwork on all my walls please.
5. A Quote
If it is only the job of everyone else to make you “feel safe” instead of a mentality you can learn to cultivate, you’ll always feel attacked - Ayishat Akanbi
See you next Sunday.