The air is thick. I have not been thinking about the past, more the future. Rereading Ian McEwan’s Black Dogs brings me to this point. Thinking about living a full life: one to write about. It does not have to be rich in experience, but it must be rich in emotion. Depth of feeling is essential. I want to tap into the things that I have not felt. The deaths that will most certainly come with time. I am not fully prepared, but I know that I will be tested. A woman says to me today, “It is not about things getting easier; it is about being stronger.” We must bulk up.

From Babel soundtrack (Concord, 2006)