the smell of coffee
Breakfasts, coffees, lunches, dinners, and phonecalls with friends who don't need small talk.
friends whom I would tell "call you back" and then call them back a week later.
friends -like Karim- who would say "But you keep getting fatter. How will I know how big you will be?" when I ask him to get me something nice to wear.
friends -like Karim- who would then try to fix the damage by saying "i expect i'll buy for the image i have of you in my head. the perfect woman."
friends -like Karim- who would not believe I could share this openly and would deny they said it.
other friends who would listen to me going on and on and on about who SATC's Mr. Big reminds me of and how I am hopelessly hooked on the type, and they still would have the decency to not bang my head (or theirs) against the wall in despair! (you know yourselves)
a mother who compares me to Israel whenever I try to act friendly with her (and end up taking her space and sharing her food!)
a mother (the same woman) who would say that an age difference of 20 yrs is not much between spouses, but would immediately yell at me when I say, so it is ok for me to marry a guy in his late-40s.
a mother (still the same woman) who would understand when I tell her that as a child I used to wonder why my father married HER, as a teenager I used to wonder why SHE married him, and as an adult, I understand and I hope to have what she had.
a brother who would compare the quasadilla I ordered for him to Tebesty's feteer, and a sister who would laugh at the joke even though I glare at them both.
believing in a God who treats/judges us "bema howa ahloh" not "bema na7no ahloh".
having been loved by people throughout my life, not so much so that one person would kill himself for me, but enough that ALL the people who love(d) me combined would sacrifice maybe a small chicken or something for me. Well, maybe just a pigeon, or a frog. Something!
having friends who understand (and hate) my attachments, detachments, and general commitment phobia.
being able to remember names, faces, and events that I only know through the cyber space (thank you FB, Blogger, and Twitter), even if it gives me a creepy, stalker-ish edge!
feeling that life is both over- and under- rated.
having a mentor/friend who brought me to tears with anger, intensity, and happiness at different points over the last few years.. who called me a drunk Sufi sometimes and 3abla Kamel other times.. who made me see how scared I am of people having expectations from me, and who makes me look for answers and patterns, and helps me understand that the "dog crossed the road" just because the dog crossed the road.
other friends who would listen to me going on and on and on about who SATC's Mr. Big reminds me of and how I am hopelessly hooked on the type, and they still would have the decency to not bang my head (or theirs) against the wall in despair! (you know yourselves)
a mother who compares me to Israel whenever I try to act friendly with her (and end up taking her space and sharing her food!)
a mother (the same woman) who would say that an age difference of 20 yrs is not much between spouses, but would immediately yell at me when I say, so it is ok for me to marry a guy in his late-40s.
a mother (still the same woman) who would understand when I tell her that as a child I used to wonder why my father married HER, as a teenager I used to wonder why SHE married him, and as an adult, I understand and I hope to have what she had.
a brother who would compare the quasadilla I ordered for him to Tebesty's feteer, and a sister who would laugh at the joke even though I glare at them both.
believing in a God who treats/judges us "bema howa ahloh" not "bema na7no ahloh".
having been loved by people throughout my life, not so much so that one person would kill himself for me, but enough that ALL the people who love(d) me combined would sacrifice maybe a small chicken or something for me. Well, maybe just a pigeon, or a frog. Something!
having friends who understand (and hate) my attachments, detachments, and general commitment phobia.
being able to remember names, faces, and events that I only know through the cyber space (thank you FB, Blogger, and Twitter), even if it gives me a creepy, stalker-ish edge!
feeling that life is both over- and under- rated.
having a mentor/friend who brought me to tears with anger, intensity, and happiness at different points over the last few years.. who called me a drunk Sufi sometimes and 3abla Kamel other times.. who made me see how scared I am of people having expectations from me, and who makes me look for answers and patterns, and helps me understand that the "dog crossed the road" just because the dog crossed the road.
