I Will Follow

I’m in love with a girl 
who’s in love with the world 
and I can’t help but follow

Never Forget

Remember
You are braver than you believe
Stronger than you seem
Smarter than you think
And twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagined.

The Wave

THE WAVE

by Virgil translated by Robert Pinsky

As when far off in the middle of the ocean
A breast-shaped curve of wave begins to whiten
And rise above the surface, then rolling on
Gathers and gathers until it reaches land
Huge as a mountain and crashes among the rocks
With a prodigious roar, and what was deep
Comes churning up from the bottom in mighty swirls
Of sunken sand and living things and water —
So in the springtime every race of people
And all the creatures on earth or in the water,
Wild animals and flocks and all the birds
In all their painted colors, all rush to charge
Into the fire that burns them: love moves them all.

Pictured: Hokusai, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," woodblock print, 1829-1833

The Wanderers

How unspeakably beautiful this world is,
how precisely engineered for our pleasure.
It is such a gift to be able to wander
in this vast, sensual paradise
With you.

Breakthroughs require Breakdowns

Breakthroughs require breakdowns.

Paper Moon

“It’s a Barnum and Bailey world,

 just as phony as it can be,

 But it wouldn’t be make-believe 

 if you believed in me.”

Jack White "Love Interruption"

The debut single from his new solo CD, accompanied by a band of beautiful women that includes singer Ruby Amanfu, clarinet player Emily Bowland and keyboardist Brooke Waggoner.

Storm Large "8 Miles Wide"

This song is glorious. I heard that Buddha's smile is also 8 miles wide. A coincidence??? Storm Large from Portland, OR.

Robert Burns "My Love is like a Red, Red Rose"

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie
That’s sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry:

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

Angelique Kidjo "Azan Nan Kpe"

One of the most uplifting and inspiring songs I've ever heard.

Azan Nan Kpe (A Day Will Come)

The day begins
The sun clothes the earth with its radieance
Look up and you'll see the birds flying.

Humans are enjoying the day
But life is not the same everywhere
Somewhere people are suffering
Someone forces the people together to indoctrinate them
Someone forces the people together to kill them
A day will come
And nothing and nobody will stop the people rising up
It will be such a shock
that the earth will tremble.

Jarabe de Palo "Bonito"

I discovered this song while driving thru Spain in 2005. A fun song with inspirational lyrics. Life is Beautiful!

Bonito, todo me parece bonito
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me
Bonita mañana
—This morning is Beautiful
bonito lugar
—this place is beautiful
bonita la cama
—The bed is beautiful
qué bien se ve el mar
—The sea looks beautiful
bonito es el día
—Beautiful is the day
que acaba de empezar, bonita la vida
—that has just started, life is beautiful
respira, respira, respira
—breathe, breathe, breathe

El teléfono suena, mi pana se queja:
—The telephone rings, my buddy complains:
la cosa va mal, la vida le pesa
—everything’s going wrong, life’s weighing him down
que vivir así ya no le interesa
—that living like this no longer interests him
que seguir así no vale la pena
—that going on like this is not worth it
se perdió el amor, se acabó la fiesta
—love has been lost, the party has ended
ya no anda el motor que empuja la tierra
—the engine that moves the earth is no longer running
la vida es un chiste con triste final
—life is a joke with a sad ending
el futuro no existe, pero yo le digo...
—the future doesn’t exist, but I tell him...

Bonito, todo me parece bonito
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me

Bonita la paz, bonita la vida
—Peace is beautiful, life is beautiful
bonito volver a nacer cada día
—It is beautiful to be able to be reborn everyday
bonita la verdad cuando no suena a mentira
—truth is beautiful when it doesn’t sound like lies
bonita la amistad, bonita la risa
—friendship is beautiful, laughter is beautiful
bonita la gente cuando hay calidad
—people are beautiful when they have worth
bonita la gente que no se arrepiente
—People who have no regrets are beautiful
que gana y que pierde, que habla y no miente
—who win and lose, who speak and don’t lie
bonita la gente por eso yo digo...
People are beautiful and that is why I say...

Bonito, todo me parece bonito
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me

Qué bonito que te va cuando te va bonito,
—How beautiful it is when everything goes beautifully for you
qué bonito que te va
— It’s going so beautifully for you

Bonito, todo me parece bonito
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me.
La mar, la mañana, la casa, la sombra,
—The sea, the morning, the house, the shade,
la tierra, la paz y la vida que pasa.
—the earth, peace and life as it goes by.
Bonito, todo me parece bonito.
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me
Tu calma, tu salsa, la mancha en la
—Your tranquility, your salsa, the freckle on your
espalda, tu cara, tus ganas el fin de semana
—back, your face, your desires, the weekend

Bonita la gente que viene y que va
—Beautiful are the people who come and go
bonita la gente que no se detiene
—beautiful are the people who don’t hold back
bonita la gente que no tiene edad
—beautiful are the peolple that are ageless
que escucha, que entiende, que tiene y que da
—that listen, that understand, that have and that give

Bonito Portet*, bonito Peret*
—Beautiful Portet, beautiful Peret
bonita la rumba, bonito José*
—the rumba is beautiful, beautiful José
bonita la brisa que no tiene prisa
—the unhurried breeze is beautiful
bonito este día, respira, respira
—this day is beautiful, breathe, breathe
Bonita la gente cuando es de verdad
—Beautiful are the people that are honest
Bonita la gente que es diferente
—Beautiful are the people that are different
Que tiembla, que siente
—That tremble, that feel
Que vive el presente
—That live in the present
bonita la gente que estuvo y no está.
—Beautiful are the people that were and no longer are.

Bonito, todo me parece bonito.
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me

Qué bonito que te va cuando te va bonito,
—How beautiful it is when everything goes beautifully for you
qué bonito que te va
—It’s going so beautifully for you
Qué bonito que se está cuando se está
—How beautiful it is when everything is
bonito, qué bonito que se está.
—beautiful, it is so beautiful

Bonito, todo me parece bonito
—Beautiful, everything seems beautiful to me

Matisyahu "One Day"

Uplifting and beautiful song by the unclassifiable Matisyahu.  Matisyahu (Matthew Paul Miller)  performed for over a year as MC Truth in the Bend, Oregon band Soulfori in the early 2000s.

Pearl Jam "Given to Fly"

He could’ve tuned in, tuned in
But he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
The wind rose up, set him down on his knee

A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
Delivered him wings, "Hey, look at him now"
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor
Oh, power, oh

He's.. flying
Whole…
High.. wide, oh

He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands

And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly

High.. flying
Oh, oh
High.. flying
Oh, oh
He’s…flying
Oh, oh

Life's Biggest Secrets 2

How to know if you have found your soulmate:

1. If you have to ask, then the answer is probably no.

2. Relationships should NOT be work. Sure, they require effort and patience, but it should not be a grind.

3. If you're with someone who is manipulative or abusive in any way, rest assured that you are not with your soulmate. Break it off as quickly as possible, or else you might never meet your soulmate because you're too busy dealing with an unhealthy relationship.