I’m so completely touched that you feel so strongly about our friendship that you wrote of it on your blog. You know, we may be two very different people for anyone on the outside looking in but I think we both know perfectly well, where the true beauty lies – and the important similarities – are what brought us together – thankfully prompted by the coffee and the tunes . For anyone too numb from preoccupation to take notice of this kind of beauty, I am truly sorry. And I can only hope that they’ll one day wake up from the coma long enough to realize that true happiness is rarely achieved without an open mind and yes – sacrifice. Our pain, in any form, brings us together and makes us so much stronger than we may ever really know. (I can speak to this coma because I found myself in one a few years back and am constantly fighting against unimportant priorities.)

Your pain is very different and I hate to know you’re in such prolonged states of it. You’re too good a person to live with this for so long and yet you have risen above it time and time and time again. If there’s one thing you’ve taught me these past few months is how to keep going no matter the obstacle – to live without regret & never lose yourself along the way (ok..so three things+). I am glad you write about it though as it does you no good to keep it inside where it can do more damage. You know that so many people around you care about you deeply. We may live inside your computer…but we’re here. And we’re never more than a Tweet, DM, Plurk or Stickam chat away . (Oh and BTW…special thanks to Dave for opening up the Rhodeshow so that we could steal a few moments to actually see each other here and there .)

Your advice, based on your own life experiences, never fails to run deeply (which is how I’ve come to realize where part of your blog’s title comes in). And, I know you are your own worst critic when it comes to getting to your comments and next post drafted. But you know what, it’s OK. There’s no hurry as anyone who knows you, knows you will get to it eventually and it will be well worth the wait.

And so in close, here are a few of my favorite inspiring quotes to celebrate and illustrate the strength and love in the person I’ve come to know… (that’s you silly – and I’m sure you’ll recognize these quotes too):

(|_|*to living without regret & never losing ourselves*|_|)
(|_|*to a slow, steady build toward real change*|_|)
(|_|*to small victories along the way & stepping stones made of every discovery*|_|)
(|_|*to having one of those ‘lives’*|_|)
(|_|*to uncovering new possibilities, recovering old truths & discovering ourselves*|_|)
(|_|*to setting our struggles aside & making our distractions worthwhile*|_|)
(|_|*to being in the trenches together*|_|)

Mwuah! LOVE you!

-Charee

A lot of people shield themselves by preoccupying themselves with shopping for cheap plastic crap. What’s going to happen to them now that this so-called hobby is becoming unaffordable?

Maybe there will be a huge awakening in consciousness. We can only hope.