Coming from a lady liberty like myself, this sentence is itself on the verge of a break down - I adore possessing.
That feeling of having something all yours, that you can cling to, and no one can take away, is indeed the greatest gift. This is, will and can only be culture.
My child, no regime, no government, no man can take that away from you.
It doesn’t matter whether you are in an empty room or surrounded by hundreds of people; the most important conversation you will have is the one with yourself – make sure it is an interesting one.
You must have beautiful songs, amazing writers, touching poems, great stories to keep you company in this life.
You also desperately need a Margarita from The Connaught Bar in London, but we can get back to that later. (Here is me pre-gaming at the hotel because I rarely take pictures of the actual game).
Love for culture is self-love. It is feeding your thoughts with beautiful ideas from past, present and future dimensions. It is allowing your body to be elsewhere in another time. It is choosing you over the rest.
On self-love, a little interruption by Derek Walcott:
“Love after love”
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
Freedom is only real when the mind is clear and for the mind to be clear you must declutter it from the bullshit. Culture can set you free and opens you up to the infinite beauty of the world. Bullshit is a wall you can’t see past.
You should discover, talk, travel, read, and do it all by yourself. You should be your own best friend - be a cool one!
Quick interruption on being cool by my SS24 wish list:
a built-in-lighter bag to out cool everyone in the smoking area;
can we bring back the gomminos? 10 points if golden;
this skirt, because the Abu Dhabi serendipity meeting of Carrie and her ex will not be forgotten;
pleasure doesn’t go with guilt and they know it.
Back to seeking knowledge and sparking the fire of curiosity, I keep challenging myself in avoiding people and cultivate quite literally any other interest. It is a major misconception that you should surround yourself with people who have passions and hobbies and interests. You should be that person regardless.
With age (31 springs) I have learned you do not need more than one true friend, one true love, one mum and one dad. If you are lucky enough to have met all of the above, you truly do not need more humans to call friends.
Anyone else is backdrop.
I often find myself alone at the theatre and I cannot help but thinking how lucky I am.
One more bar for you to visit. One more poem to keep you company at night.
One more time, I have been away too long.
Speak soon x