Pillowbook

“I will make you a list of Exquisite things.”
the Pillow Book, (10th century)

• Cool breezes sliding through my open window as a thunderstorm approaches
• The feeling of someone brushing my hair, or just playing with it.
• The ominous, powerful sounds of a pipe organ in a huge church
• The colorful sight of my perfume bottle collection
• Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, with Cheddar Crackers
• Being kissed on the neck…
• Racing down an airplane runway, and taking off.
• The crisp, sweet coolness of Cider.
• Finding the perfect present for someone, and wrapping it decadently.
• Wandering through museums or antique shoppes.
• Reading poetry aloud, anything by Emily Dickinson
• Body dusting powder very lightly scented with rose oil
• Walking alone after midnight humming Patsy Cline
• A really well-made carpaccio
• Crisp clean sheets on naked skin on a cool summer night
• Kitten fur against one’s cheek
• Hearing that favourite high school pop song on the radio
• A silver charm dangling between one’s breasts
• Running one’s fingers through a beloved’s long, rich, silky hair
• The strange feeling of happiness when you look into the mirror after a bath and realize you think the highest of your body
• Reading poetry while taking a bubblebath in candlelight 
• Hearing the first notes your favorite music in concert really loudly
• Seeing brief glimpes of a city lit up at night as you approach it
• Finishing off a novel; turning the page and seeing it it’s blank, with all of the ends tied up in a bow
• Diving into a swimming pool at night
• The vibrations of an acoustic guitar during a favorite song
• Fabulous old things
• Crow mornings, when the sun’s just barely risen and the crows come land on the wire outside my window and talk.
• Pushing your hands into a bowl of seed beads
• Touching cold, unpolished metal and concrete
• Walking into a building in midsummer that you didn’t think was air-conditioned
• Those first few minute, when you curl back into your blanket and just breathe
• A clean and utterly silent room, with windows open to the night
• Laying down on the floor when no one’s around and rolling around and stretching.
• Espresso with steamed milk at a café in the middle of the ancient Rome, Italy. Surrounded by little birds visiting your table.
• Waking up at noon cuddled with your sweetie
• Staying up all night reading, making art, watching movies, talking, eating, dancing…then sleeping all day.
• Fondue, crepes, chocolate…
• In spring when seedlings poke out of the soil. It’s a mysterious mindbending miracle every time.
• The smell of Lavender, Cloves, Vanilla, Bergamont, and Sandalwood.
• Being outside, with no artificial light, in the middle of the night, and watching the stars
• Quirky original imaginative one of a kind sometimes impractical creations
• Henry Miller
• Having something make you cry out of that bittersweet happiness and not out of pain