7/20/1948 - 8/17/2011
it was a silly poster that i'd picked up at a college poster fair and hung inside my closet door. it was bright and colorful, with a list of lessons for a happier life. a few months later, i hand printed a smaller version of the poster for my dad. he and my mom had recently broken up, and i thought he needed a plan for the rest of his life. we never talked about it, but i know now that he took every last word to heart. and was happier for it. the original poster is long gone now, but the copy i gave to dad hung inside his closet until the day he died, when i took it down, rolled it up, and packed it with my things. now i'm going to try to learn the same lesson he did.
HOW TO BE REALLY ALIVE
Live juicy. Stamp out conformity. Stay in bed all day. Dream of gypsy wagons. Find snails making love. Develop an astounding appetite for books. Drink sunsets. Draw out your feelings. Amaze yourself. Be ridiculous. Stop worrying. Now. If not now, then when? Make yes your favorite word. Marry yourself. Dry your clothes in the sun. Eat mangoes naked. Keep toys in the bathtub. Spin yourself dizzy. Hang upside down. Follow a child. Celebrate an old person. Send a love letter to yourself. Be advanced. Try endearing. Invent new ways to love. Transform negatives. Delight someone. Wear pajamas to a drive-in movie. Allow yourself to feel rich without money. Be who you truly are and the money will follow. Believe in everything. You are always on your way to a miracle. The miracle is you.
"where's the fire?"
aunt carole, uncle randy, dad
dad, maybe 19 years old
dad and me in costa rica, 1994
dad and lib
dad, lib, grandmother
we will miss you.
