Weather: cloudy

Reading: Tears of the Moon, Nora Roberts

Knitting: the green cardigan some more. Knitted a lot on it yesterday since we watched three movies. Today we only watched one, Ulee's Gold, which I had never heard of, and which starred Peter Fonda and was said by many to be the best movie he ever made, which ain't saying a whole lot, but I liked it.

Today we went to a Buddhist meeting since Maggie's joined the group. It's good to see her involved in something positive, someithng that gives her some cohesion. The chanting was neat, but the talking was boring.

Writing exercise:

The balloon lifted off the ground, quickly leaving the confusion behind, the milling people and their strife, their inflexiblilites, their laughter, everything on the earth where it belongs. For the confusion of people is a thing of the earth, and the balloon was meant for the sky. There in the sky, in the clouds, far above it all was the palce of peace and safety. No, not safety, for there are dangers in the sky that are not though of on the earth, the failures of the air, of the wind, the thinning out of that which supprts -- but isn't that the case on the earth as well? How many times does support fail, that which upholds fail to uphold, something that is supposed to move, as air moves, how often does it fail to move? Hearts that need to grow, to change, sometimes fail, and words fail, and people fail. And then, what is left but the earth? The ground? That which covers and buries all eventually.

But to be in the air, the element most light and clean of all of the elements, that's what's best. The air may fail, but it will remain less densely packed, less confused, less full of garbage than the earth, the people of earth. And when the air lets you down, the winds fail, then you go back to the earth,a dn it's rough, can be roughest. But what is lost? For you would have had to go there eventually anyway, and now, because of the balloon you have had a chance to be free. Free of all of it.

It's cool above the earth, the air is cool, and honest. The sun shines hot, yes, but it's an honest heat, not all made of mosquitoes and sweat, not made of panyhose and offices and tension and phone calls and deadlines. When it's cold it's colder above than it is below, and it's an honest cold.

And the air is under all and uplifts and speeds the birds and the people on their way, and the smoke and the ashes. Whatever is dirty in the air comes form the earth. The opposite is not true. Hardly ever.