I wish this weren’t a day when people remember where they were at that moment. For people who lost loved ones on this day, my heart goes out to you. But much disturbs me about our insistence on dwelling on the tragedy of the event rather than on what we might do to prevent such a thing from happening ever again. Is there any way on earth that people might begin to understand each other, ever?Obviously, I’m not going to answer that question on a blog about things like eye shadow and perfume. In fact, I hadn’t planned to bring it up, but I was going to work this morning, and I decided to stop and get a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Usually I go to one closer to my house, but because I came up with the idea on my way to the office, I headed to a different location, and on my way there, I realized: I was headed straight for the Starbucks where I heard the news. Back in 2001, I went to the same Starbucks every day, and the guy who usually made my drink was the one who told me the first plane had hit the tower. We always joked around with each other, and I thought he was kidding. I chided him until another customer told me it was true.
And just before I started to compose this post, I was knocking around Napster, looking for something to listen to. I was going for The Killers new album, but it’s not posted yet, and then I saw a link for The Strokes. I clicked through and selected Is This It without much thought, and then realized: this album came out in the fall of 2001. About a month after 9/11, I went to see Janeane Garofalo perform, and she mentioned this album was really great, so I went out and bought it. Very strange to go see a comedy act after the events of those days, especially the act of a person who was there that day, and who had a lot of stories to share. But I suppose the important thing is to remember to keep laughing, to keep finding things to enjoy: comedy, music, perfume, eye shadow. While we pay our respects to those who lost their lives that day, we must move forward and enjoy what we can of life. Difficulty and unhappiness are never things to look for—they will find you. They have your address. But happiness, you should always strive to seek.
And my perfume that day? Something I no longer wear: Elizabeth Arden Splendor. I wore it for many years afterward, but then one day I put it on and realized it didn’t smell the same anymore, that it or I had changed, and it was time to find something else. And look at me now: a new perfume every day, practically!
i Profumi di Firenze Tobacco is an uncomplicated blend of tobacco flower and sandalwood, a spicy floral perfect for fall. It’s warm without being heavy, like a light blanket in your lap on a cool afternoon. It makes me long for crisp air and a glass of hot apple cider. It’s still warm here, but the breeze carries a little chill on it, and the other day I looked out the front door and saw three burnt orange leaves amidst the tired green on the tree in our front yard. Crazy as it sounds, to me fall is the beginning of a cycle more so than the end. I love watching the leaves turn, I love the holidays, the barrenness of winter that allows spring. To me, summer, in all its stifling heat, is the end of things. But no matter what you think of as the beginning or the end, it’s all a cycle, no? Endless cycle of life.
*photo from LusciousCargo
