Beautiful, Beautiful Boy

I took the day off of work yesterday. It was much needed and long overdue. I spent the day playing tourist with Jonathan and watching the interesting people in Seattle, particularly at Pike Place Market. I'm also stocked up on good paprika again - for me, that's a feeling of wealth. (I think Frank Herbert was talking about paprika when he wrote Dune. After all, I do have blue eyes now, don't I?! Gimme the spice.)

Jonathan and I noshed our way through the market, beginning with a sack of hot, freshly roasted cashews, samples of leek soup with truffle oil (I think my taste buds had their first ever orgasm), chicken gizzards (those were Jonathan's idea, not mine! *makes retching noise*), nectarines so juicy that I pretty much bathed in the thing as I ate it, some really killer, wicked good bean, a Malaysian spring roll, and a few pints of Kilt Lifter ale at the Pike Place Brewery.

Then we went to dinner. Sushi... ohhhhh yeah, baby. Like we needed to eat again. But, it was sushi - how could I possibly refuse?! Although, taking the bus home after and having to hike up that damnable hill near my house is a fine lesson on Why Barb Should Never Overeat! I was hurtin' for certain. *cue unladylike burp*

It was a wonderful day, spent in the company of a young man I greatly admire - Jonathan is so articulate, intelligent, witty, worldly and open with who he is. Often, as we passed the time talking about anything and everything, I'd catch myself thinking, "Dang, but we did a good job with him." Yes, I gave myself a little bit of credit (only a little), mostly based on some of the references he made to my influence on his childhood. In fact, as we sat sipping ale and he pondered with all of the things he'd been through, he wondered how it was that did he turn out so well. I told him it was because as a child he was allowed to be exactly who he needed to be; self-expression was never questioned in the Simon household. In fact, it was invited. Plus, he had three intelligent and caring adults from whom to draw knowledge and wisdom. Top that off with his own inherent curiosity about everything in the universe. Finally, there was love - huge love. Given all that, there was no other path but a destined lane to greatness.
Me? All of that has given me some measure of satisfaction within my mortality. The sense that if I die today, I'll die knowing something I did mattered. How many people ever get to say that, much less see the evidence firsthand? How many get to see the full circle? I'm so utterly blessed.

Shel Silverstein said it best, "There's no present like the time." And I was given a tremendous gift 21+ years ago. The gift of time to spend in a meandering river of days with two beautiful boys - each as different as any two pebbles in the stream; each who brought a startling, shining beauty to my life.