We are the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men. I know you will come and carry me out into the palace of winds. That’s all I’ve wanted—to walk in such a place with you, with friends, on an earth without maps…”

Michael Ondaatje, (1943- ) – Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, novelist, and filmmaker; from the book and movie “The English Patient”

We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others.

What do I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.

Thomas Merton, (1915-1968) – American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, and poet

Yes, we are the true countries. We, the people. And we do not exist only for ourselves. In order to be truly happy, we must focus on our real work: to love and to embrace life with passion and connection. To throw our arms wide to the possibilities of living. To jump and know you will be caught. To risk, to give, to love.

~~ Anna // 3/31/2022