kiss her until she be wearied out.

~ percy bysshe shelley

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. 
But if you love and must have desires, let these be your desires: 

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. 
To know the pain of too much tenderness. 
To be wounded by your own understanding of love; 
And to bleed willingly and joyfully. 
To wake at dawn with a winged heart 
and give thanks for another day of loving; 
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; 
To return home at eventide with gratitude; 
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart 
and a song of praise upon your lips.

~ Kahlil Gibran 

my dear friends, sara and will, threw a texas-style shindig this weekend as a going-away gift, complete with southern dishes including fresh fruit salad, the best pulled pork i’ve ever tasted, amazing baked mac ‘n’ cheese and out-of-this-world blackberry cobbler that begs to be eaten right out of the pan.

have you ever caught yourself watching someone dance? listening to their body. reading their face. hearing the words they have not yet spoken aloud. the dancer moves through the space with such passion, telling her story through movement, freeing herself of any chains holding her down, as if saying ‘i am unapologetically me in this moment. i have nothing to hide, nothing to prove to anyone. i will do as i please.’

there is freedom in truth. the body does not lie. 

there is nothing in this world like the feeling of rain falling on my face. add a kiss to that delightful downpour and you have what i call a perfect storm. next time you find yourself out in the rain, take your lover into your arms and kiss her until she is all kissed-out.  

 (via bluquote)

Happiness cannot be found
through great effort and willpower,
but is already present, in open relaxation and letting go.

Don’t strain yourself,
there is nothing to do or undo.
Whatever momentarily arises in the body-mind
has no real importance at all,
has little reality whatsoever.
Why identify with, and become attached to it,
passing judgment upon it and ourselves?

Far better to simply
let the entire game happen on its own,
springing up and falling back like waves–
without changing or manipulating anything–
and notice how everything vanishes and
reappears, magically, again and again,
time without end.

Only our searching for happiness
prevents us from seeing it.
It’s like a vivid rainbow which you pursue without ever catching,
or a dog chasing its own tail.

Although peace and happiness do not exist
as an actual thing or place,
it is always available
and accompanies you every instant.

Don’t believe in the reality
of good and bad experiences;
they are like today’s ephemeral weather,
like rainbows in the sky.

Wanting to grasp the ungraspable,
you exhaust yourself in vain.
As soon as you open and relax this tight fist of grasping,
infinite space is there – open, inviting and comfortable.

Make use of the spaciousness, this freedom and natural ease.
Don’t search any further.
Don’t go into the tangled jungle
looking for the great awakened elephant,
who is already resting quietly at home
in front of your own hearth.

Nothing to do or undo,
nothing to force,
nothing to want,
and nothing missing.

Emaho! Marvelous!
Everything happens by itself.

~ lama gendun rinpoche

~via littlemiss

crab and jellyfish sittin in a tree

all in

the things we carry

i have just recently discovered these paintings (here) by casey o’connell. i adore her style, as well as her ability to portray such deep emotion through body language and facial expressions. absolutely impressive.