As the Crow Spies
Curious visits from the prophetic bird. Plus, Alicia Keys and more!
“Crow…
Are you ‘cawing’
So I may know,
The secrets of balance,
Within my soul?”
The crows have been with me since I arrived in California. At first, I didn’t think much of it. They seemed to enjoy congregating in the big broccoli of a tree outside the bay window behind Mira’s apartment in SF. The desk I worked at faced this tree, so I’d be tap-tap-tapping away and occasionally witness a pointy beak peeking out from behind the branch’s green florets, or hear the flap-flap-flapping of feathered wings as they flitted about from leaf-laden limb to rooftop back to limb and the empty spaces in between.
Huh, I thought.
I don’t often see crows at play like this. In big cities, like Paris or New York, it’s always been pigeons. Or, at the beach, seagulls. Crows, however, were for the Night’s Watch.
Then, in LA, where I was staying with my dear friend of 27 years in Santa Monica, every morning we woke to the caw-caw-ing of crows. Around 6:15 a.m., they’d start letting it out; telling us what, we did not know. But they were loud, and it was early. Time to shut the window, and insert the earplugs.
Or not?
It wasn’t until yesterday, over a week after arriving, that my friend said she’d never heard them there before.
Huh, I thought again.
And because this friend is a mindful friend who lovingly lights palo santo on the reg and has books called Medicine Cards on hand, I got to reading about the curious and prophetic raven while sipping my morning cuppa:
“Crow is an omen of change. Crow merges light and darkness, seeing both inner and outer reality,” it read.
Huh, encore.
I’m feeling that these days as I continue to redefine “home” for myself and find comfort and peace amid the ‘right now’ and the ‘what’s next?’
“As you learn to allow your personal integrity to be your guide, your sense of feeling alone will vanish. Your personal will can then emerge so that you stand in your truth…Be willing to walk your talk, speak your truth, know your life’s mission, and balance past, present, and future in the now. Shape shift that old reality and become your future self.”
Well, thanks for the confirmation that I’m on a worthy flight path, feathered friends. Windows will remain open from now on. Caw-fucking-caw.
Bon week-end, mes amies. xx — Sara
Clickable
Deciphering the purpose of Twitter. | New York Times Magazine
Be basic: Just say, “I like it!” | Harper’s Bazaar
On wearing one’s father to remember him. | GQ
Dissecting the magic of Disney…for adults. | The Cut
Now you can judge cannabis by its cover, too. | The New Yorker
Shut up, or risk your life. What has happened to us? | CNN
A Tale of Two Cities
If you can believe it, six weeks have come and gone, which means my swap sister/friend/landlord Mira is returning to her apartment in San Francisco tomorrow! I’ll be heading to LA to visit my sister-sister and fam, before coming back to SF for another swap (in a different neighborhood) in mid-May. But since this is where
Watchable
If, like me, you missed the fact that Shonda Rhimes debuted a prequel to “Bridgerton” on Netflix called “Queen Charlotte” then you may have also missed this version of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” which was recorded with a 74-piece orchestra made up entirely of women of color in conjunction with the show and to honor the song’s the 20th anniversary (!) Despite the two decades that have passed, that tune never gets old.
Currently Overthinking…
…where and when to do laundry…
Mangez Bien: 25 Favorite Dishes in Paris
Last week, T Magazine published an article I contributed to: The 25 Essential Dishes to Eat in Paris. When I was first asked to participate, I was honored: What a feat! To come up with the most essential dishes in Paris! Not so fast. That part had already been determined by a panel of culinary experts. In this case, cookbook author and
Souvenir: Raggedy Ann & Andy
I went down a (raggedy) rabbit hole this week after my friend whipped out a pair of original “Raggedy Ann and Andy” dolls from her childhood. Remember the redheaded siblings? (Editor’s Note: Just verified via Wiki that they are, indeed, brother and sister, not a couple. You know, in case you were wondering. :) Created by writer and illustrator Johnny Gruelle, Ann came first in 1915, followed by her brother five years later. Did you have a pair, read the books, or watch the series? And if you still had the dolls, would you toss, regift, or try to sell them?