Why I Live

An adapted stream of consciousness from a walk in early December:

I live to ask questions and listen, to understand the experience of life
I live to ease the suffering of those I love and care about
I live to learn what others believe and why

I live for rituals
I live for the feeling of a winter’s sun on my cheekbones
I live for the feeling of being a stranger in another country

I live to make art that prompts people to consider what gives their lives meaning
I live to carry through to their end the rabbit trails of my thoughts
I live to carry myself as though a string were pulling me up from the crown of my head, for the softness the adjustments bring

I live to help people express themselves
I live to learn selflessness
I live to be strong, light, and free

I live to be always being, doing, and giving to the world
I live to see what the world becomes, because I have faith in our ability to make it a better place
I live to find the one person I can trust more than anyone, someone with whom I can share my life as it is, was, and will be —