honk if you can read this

I'm spending the evening in a beautiful town on a flawless night on the Delaware River. There are street musicians on the sidewalk playing "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz on a guitar and banjo. In 30 minutes there will be fireworks that will be visible from my table at this cool garden cafe. I'm sitting under trees filled with white lights that are rustling in the soft breeze. I'm enjoying a merlot, I've shared laughs with the host who is the spitting image of Dick Van Dyke, and I'm about to spend the evening writing.

This is a nearly perfect evening...nearly.

I've been considering solitude tonight. There is something about being human that causes me to want to share this experience. I'm seated at a table in the middle of the patio with a literal spotlight over the chair where I sit. There is comic perfection to it. It's not that I mind being alone, in fact I often relish it, but there is something that wants to say to another human being "isn't this nice".

There is an old quote that says "we read to know we are not alone". I would amend this to say "we tweet and hope we are not alone". You and I want someone to hear about our lives and share in the joys and griefs of being us. I'm spending the evening alone, but want to tell you all about it

Lonliness and solitude can be welcome companions. Tonight, those I love are cared for and where they need to be. I can celebrate that. I've spent the evening allowing each one to prayerfully pass through my soul as i sit here. Tonight, that is what I can give to them. I don't even mind the place in my heart that aches. It means I'm still alive and that I can still feel. Walking through lonely nights also means I can...that is also worthy if celebration.

This all being true, I celebrate the longing because it means I'm human. I'm made in the image of my creator who had a whole universe and made someone to show it off to. He wasn't needy or pathetic. Life is just too good to go through without sharing...to see the world through the lens of another.

Everyone around me, regardless of what they believe about spiritual things, repeats this cycle of creation with every touch of their companion, every comment about dinner, every story told, and every shared kiss.

Well, I'm almost finished with my flounder and Dick Van Dyke has promised deserts to die for. I'm going to have the Chambord Chocolate Cake and a coffee.

Its a beautiful night in a perfect place...

...and I can't wait to show you.