Went to bff Tina Langley’s chic little room at The Surf Lodge in Montauk last night for a bathroom break and on her dresser were two decorative books, one of which happens to be among my favorite. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach is an inspirational, heartwarming must-read for everyone. I had all but forgotten about it until I saw it last night. I proceeded to take a good long break from a booze-fueled night to pick it up and reread some of my favorite passages, including this one:
“I don’t understand how you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you.”
“Oh, Fletch, you don’t love that! You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love. It’s fun, when you get the knack of it.”
So true. In this city, people tend to get so wrapped up in their own little worlds that they lose the ability to really see others for who they are. They lose focus on the positive things and choose, instead, to hold onto the negative. In a way, that’s the easier route; if you don’t place a lot of faith in a person, you’re not giving them the power to hurt you. On the other hand, if you keep closing yourself off to the world, you’re not giving anyone the power to love you, either.
