Bookish Journal #6 "I Believe"

, by Unknown

Last night I was talking with Mara (@MarvelousMaraW) about our favorite books and how I was toying with the idea of getting a tattoo that incorporated all my favorite quotes (these days I want about a million tattoos). She sent me a picture of the long quote from "American Gods" that starts with "I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not." You can find the whole quote here.

This is reminiscent of  writing prompts I had to do in college as a Creative Writing major. I also love this wonderful speech by the character Samantha how it is written as stream of conscious. In turn it made me think of, what do I believe?:


I believe in stories. I believe that New York City is the greatest city in the world not because other cities are lacking but because the magic that has happened to me here could only have happened to me on Broadway, in Times Square, Downton, Uptown, on the corner of 55th and 5th avenue . I believe in paying too much for coffee and hardly spending any money at all on clothes. I believe in train rides and airports and brand new pens with blue ink. I believe that people are good until you get to know them. I believe that the people who need a lot of material things are trying to make up for the lack of emotional connection in their life. I believe that I have borderline personality disorder with a mix of bi polar and athazagoraphobia and mostly hypochondria. I believe that those who steal other's ideas lack imagination and lacking imagination is the worst of most offenses.

I believe in internet relationships and falling in love with someone you met off of Twitter or Tumblr or Myspace. But not Facebook. That is where the rapists come from. I believe in snail mail and that feminists are too radical for me to be associated with. I believe in Santa Claus but not Jesus. If I need to believe in somebody, I'd like to believe in somebody who smiles and likes cookies and is kind to weird animals. I believe that I've lived many lives and before each life I have sat down and written out the life I am about to have. Mother Teresa said "I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much." I believe that I didn't give myself anything I couldn't handle. I believe in soul mates of all kinds, even evil ones. In each life, wouldn't Captain Hook come back as somebody new to hound Peter if only to make him a better person each time?

I believe in texting and running through Riverside Park and climbing rocks in Central Park. I believe in Chinese food take out and going to the movies by yourself. I believe in taking showers in the dark and taking as many naps as your day allows. I believe in writing and going after your dreams as soon as you can think of them. I believe that every person has at least one great true love, but not everyone ends up with them. I believe that the great loves of my life are Manhattan and my cat. I believe that a person cannot reach self actualization until they've had a serious relationship with really good sex. I believe that if you marry your high school sweetheart that you are a coward. I believe in drinking coffee naked. I believe in living in a city where there are three Starbucks cafes within a three block walking distance. I believe in wearing expensive underwear.

I believe in eating bagels with cream cheese everyday. I believe that most lies need to be told in order to keep this world in order. I believe that wearing yoga pants every day and every where is socially acceptable. I believe in sleeping with an eye mask on and making absurd decisions. I believe in cutting people loose who make you uncomfortable. I believe in getting out of your comfort zone, but doing it on your terms.  I believe in doing what makes you happy and as long as you aren't harming anyone so fuck everybody else. I believe in being crude, honest, judgmental and saying what's on your mind and that Robert Downey Jr. cat gifs are the best things in the world.



4 comments:

  1. I belive that you are probably the most inspirational person I know. I also believe that we should hang out...together...in a coffee shop...in either pway or NYC haha.

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  2. You remain a constant source of inspiration. Don't always agree, but that's the beauty of being human.

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  3. I enjoyed reading this very much. Look forward to more of your posts.

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