Blame love
I helped my youngest daughter finish her Valentine's box last night, and this morning I'm still finding bits of glitter on my face, my hands, my hair, my goatee. It won't wash off. I wear it like a badge of honor, a victory flag from some conquering army. I am happily vanquished.
Happy Valentine's Day.
I'll leave you with a quote about love (and regret, and transcendence), from the remarkable Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo, which I (finally) finished last night.
"...There is, despite our wildest imaginings, only one life. The ghostly others, no matter how real they seem, no matter how badly we need them, are phantoms. The one life we're left with is sufficient to fill and refill our imperfect hearts with joy, and then to shatter them. And it never, ever lets up.
Blame love."