new costumers tended to look at him wearily.

The week my father died, a young man came into the Brazilian record shop I was manning for my friend and owner. 

He was the only patron in the store who spoke to our regular unhoused friend like he wasn’t a pariah (Hippie Lou was a fixture in the store and all regulars adored him but new costumers tended to look at him wearily). He smiled at Hippie Lou big and wide, the best smile I had ever seen and they talked for a while. 

I knew then that he was one of the best humans I would ever meet. 

I was right. He is the bestest partner I could have hoped for (thanks for the parting gift, dad!)

And obviously, he is also the bestest dad to L and R.

I’ve learnt so much about holding space for others while making sure to take care of yourself as well from you. It’s truly a skill that is beautiful to watch. 

L and R simply adore you, your games, your songs, your stories. 

As I told you so awkwardly this morning, “I am so darn lucky that you are the dad I get to be a mom with”. I don’t even know what that word soup means but if anyone gets it (you, me, us) is YOU.

Happy Father’s Day, love.

artist in residence

i am writing to ask you to consider offering me - or someone like me - an artist’s residency, consisting of room and perhaps board for a fixed period of time.

perhaps you know of an artist for which such an opportunity would be a welcome surprise, or a potential host for which such an opportunity would be a welcome adventure.  

opening up one’s home is not for the faint of heart.  i can say for the recipient of such hospitality there can be no greater gift.  for the host, the benefits are less obvious, but under favorable conditions will certainly emerge.

in my experience, the benefits to the host have been as diverse as the group of people i have had the good fortune to be “in residence” with.  the beauty, and perhaps the thrill, of such an arrangement is that the benefits are never known in advance, and, on occasion, not even in hindsight.

i have slept on floors, in beds, and on sofas.  i have eaten out of cupboards, refrigerators, dined at my host’s table, or eaten elsewhere as a guest of others.  at my host’s behest, i have stayed for days, for weeks, and sometimes for months.  i have accepted meager alms with which i could afford daily entry at the local coffee house.

my point is that a residency is amenable to a wide variety of arrangements, with suitability to and consideration of the host of paramount concern.

someone once described me as an artist whose medium is the energy of life.  i liked that description.

i have a special affinity for people who feel some discomfort with their life and the world they live in, and are unwilling or unable to ignore that discomfort.  they seek to understand it, and if possible, to remedy it.  they may not be sure where to start or how to go about it.  they are, however, determined in their quest.

or, having perhaps discovered a better fitting, more hospitable and healthier way of being in the world, they are developing a life and a way of living in which they and others can flourish.

i was and am such a person.

shall we talk?

with kind regards and love always, hippie lou

i had a blast yesterday and look forward to future rendezvouses(?) with you.  time stood still and yet it flew by at the same time.  what magic!

good Afternoon.

Sir, Happy complication of your fasting. 

May this day brings the brightest of colours of love, laughter and happiness in your life. Here's wishing you and your family, Eid Mubarak! May the Lord Almighty blesses you with the gift of kindness, patience and love. Have a wonderful Eid!

love the fact that reading what you wrote in times past leaves you wondering who you were, relative to who you are today.

it’s one of my favorite dances, who we were relative to who we are.

It was SO good to see you this week! You are helpful to me, I hope you know that. You keep my heart open while I'm at work and I remember myself.

It's sweet of you to try to get me to see the positive side. Didn't mean to criticize you.