i'm a superhero!

i eat out alone. i'm just getting back from eating at la villa, a little mexican restaurant that i frequent more than i frequent the grocery store. sitting there alone with my daily special and free chips and salsa, i'm intrigued by the lack of other solo eaters. is it strange that i sit alone? i wonder if anyone else even notices.

maybe it's strange that i don't feel alone when i'm alone.

“Deep inside me the loneliness bird laid a large stone egg." that's a line from 'The Power of One.' it's such a good movie. that line is referring to the following -

"In some parts of the world, such as the high mountain plains of South America, and parts of desert Africa, "nests" of stones are found. How is it possible that such smooth, round stones, which are normally found in rivers at much lower elevations, could be high on a mountain or in a desert, where there are no rivers? A primitive myth explains the phenomenon.

The myth says that these are the nests of the loneliness birds. These birds live at high altitudes and are usually seen in silhouette, as they scan the earth, searching for a place to lay their eggs. The stones, lying together in a sandy soil, look so much like smooth eggs. You are tempted to pick one up, and when you do, you find they are heavy.

When you lose someone, so the story goes, the loneliness birds lay their stone eggs in your heart. You can feel them there, weighing you down, and you live with them for a long time. You become used to carrying this burden within you, and gradually, you grow strong.

Then, one day, you wake up, and something has changed. The sun is shining, and the sky is clear blue. You look around and seem to see your surroundings with new eyes, as if you have been gone for a long time. Even the most mundane objects around you seem to be full of meaning. And you feel light on your feet. Some stories say that, during the night, the loneliness birds came and took their stone eggs, and flew away. Others say that each of the stone eggs has hatched into life, and that when each egg has hatched, the nest is empty, and the heart becomes light."

i feel sad for people when they experience bad things - sickness, fear, loss, anxiety, hopelessness, discouragement, confusion, etc. what saddens me the most? loneliness. nobody should feel alone. there was a clip of the aftermath of the earthquake in haiti where people were going this way and that feeling most of what i just listed. it affected me, of course, but as i watched i saw a little boy sitting on the ground, alone, watching people rush past him. that broke my heart. i can't handle that.

i want to adopt more for this reason than for anything; i want to make a few kids feel less alone.

so this is a point of manipulation for you. if you want me to do something, first make me feel bad for you because you feel alone... even if it's a lie. "emilie, can you pick up some broccoli at the store for me? i'm lonely." consider it done.

emilie vs. the loneliness birds

catchy.