Thursday, November 11, 2010

the past month has been THE month of birthdays for me (for the first time EVER). it has been one of those months when every week i've had a dinner or an outing or a cocktail for someone's birthday. besides it being out of the ordinary simply because i don't really know that many people, what also made it different was one birthday in particular - the 24th anniversaire of my crazy, lovely, wonderful friend imani. imani is...unlike most people i know, and perhaps if you ever meet her, you will understand what i mean. she has the ability to make eating a sandwich an emotional experience, and i don't mean that in a negative way. she is in tune with ALL her senses, and feels free to express every single one at every moment in grand fashion, every single day. to say she adds color to my life is to downplay - she is the enunciation to every syllable, the color saturation in every photograph - life with her is life in HD. and her birthday was not going to be any different. i expected grandeose celebrations, feasts of massive proportions, an entire week of festivities devoted to the day. in many ways, my friend stayed true to my expectations, but what i didn't count on was the lesson i was going to learn in all of it....of humility, of contentedness in the simple moments (il bel far niente), and of love that shares itself and casts out all the fears and troubles of life. while we did have multiple gatherings, rich with feasting and cocktailing and fancy dresses and dancing, the undercurrent of all of it was not the party itself. what met you at the door and kissed you farewell at the end of the night was the precious truth that we were celebrating a beautiful life, one that has transformed before our eyes, and has shown us what it looks like to celebrate yourself and share that celebration with others. i raise my glass to you, my sweet friend imani. your life inspires my own, and you teach me things when i least expect it.



garlic noodles and shrimp


mango and pomegranate sorbets...add vodka and enjoy!





pouring the birthday shots (and saving the environment)


yummy in my tummy...


haute couture, betches


cheers


let's dance!


nobody does it better


turn the lights down low

2 comments:

Imani Tahira said...

OMG WOW wow WOW. how honored i feel. this is so special to me. Thank you my dear friend. i must say it has been a different year for me... those lessons truly have been the anthems ringing in my ears. thank you thank you thank you for this pleasant reminder to keep my head up even as the festivities have died down a bit... you bring a smile to my face and laughter in my heart. i love you <3 je t'aime me amour <3

Martina said...

it's amazing.