EXCERPT FROM SARA’S JOURNALJanuary 1, 1999
Madrid
New Year’s Day
All’s quiet. We take advantage of our luxurious accommodation and
lie here until we are saturated with English CNN. We watch sports and EuroNews and
the American Edition and Question and Answer.
The streets are empty; we can see this from our balcony. Everything is
shut except for the odd bar. I study the information about the paintings I am missing.
Rich lies under the covers, in the subtle discomfort of knowing he was frontally fondled
the night before. We have a life-enhancing heart-to-heart about how his pants are
impenetrable in public places.
Rich and I share our resolutions, which are really our dreams and
goals. A resolution is something one wants to change about one’s self, something I
don’t feel. Things are different from usual because we are not in the midst of our
regular routine, interacting with many people and erring in personality or bad habits.
Traveling is a focused activity, and it simplifies a prime directive. It allows for
obscure brain play. Rich and I are together, and our entire interaction is with each
other. I am truly myself with him, and it is harmonious. I like it. He brings out the best
in me. I don’t want to so much change anything as succeed at my loves.
My resolution is to nurture present goals and set new horizons. Shared
resolutions clarify what we want to explore while we are here, away from the distractions
of our life in Canada. We thrive in each other’s presence. We continue to discover
ourselves and our potential in this medium.
Today is the continuation of a journey. It’s lifelong. It’s
perfecting the Art of Joy.
