One simple question

Fifty people. One question.  I think this should be mandatory viewing for everyone. Actually everyone should watch this at least once a week.  Or better yet, ask yourself the question each person here answers.  All we are told about each person is their name, where they live and what their answer is to the question.  We don't know them and we'll most likely never meet them but in that one sentence we see the span of their lifetime unfold in front of us. And as they walk away from the camera.  Amazingly powerful to see these faces... all the different ages, eyes, smiles, frowns, wrinkles and scars... every one so different but from watching this video, we all seem the same: mortal. Finite.  We have the same amount of time on this earth. The same chances to do more or do less with what we've been given or left out of.  These aren't their "15 minutes."  These are their lives.   Is that 30 seconds on screen what it feels like at the end of your years - like a blip - poof - gone?

The timeless beauty of galloping horses

My sisters and I played horses when we were kids.  I'm sure you think I mean that we ran around on our hands and knees and you know, ate grass,  neighed and stuff.  But no.  We had the largest collection of horse statues in the Midwest.  I was a big fan of the Clydesdale.  My sister had a particularly awesome white stallion rearing up in a dramatic pose with his mane rippling in the wind. We also swooned when anyone mentioned (pause) The Black Stallion.  The. Black. Stallion.  Nothing held our attention more than watching that beautiful horse gallop at full speed across the sandy beaches.  Of course this all changed when we discovered INXS and Duran Duran, but I digress.  My parents let me choose the color of my bedroom carpet when we moved to a new house. I choose a lovely lime green. Wall to wall lime green. I loved it. (I'll have to save the subject of the wallpaper for another blog post. Thank you Mom for gently pushing me away from covering the whole room in 'giant rabbits in a jungle'.) But this carpet was more than just the floor covering: it was a plush green field for our horses to graze and run free like they were always meant to.   If we played horses, it was in MY room. I had acres of land for our herd to roam. It wasn't until I moved to New York many, many years later that I visited Coney Island and rode the beautiful carousel.  It's even more beautiful just in sheer contrast to it's dirty, smelly surroundings of hot dogs, freak shows and trash.  That's why I was so happy to hear that a carousel will be installed on Brooklyn's waterfront and my daughter can ride it all day.   Jane's Carousel She loves the carousel in Bryant Park in Manhattan but this one is much closer. I'm sure the line will be about 20 minutes long.  Welcome to New York.