Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens and unhappy song

I think every woman needs her own little arsenal - that little collection of favourite things you haul out when life, love, shitty decisions and circumstance leave you feeling adrift.

Just like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... these are a few of my favourite things:

Lloyd Cole - Love Story
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Sex and The City - Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 ;-)
Molton Brown - Black Pepper scent
Good chablis
Gomez - Tijuana Lady
Grand Torino
The Cure - Cut Here
Beatles - While my Guitar Gently Weeps & Fool on the Hill
Don McLean - Castles in the Air
My wonderful friends
Annie
and ...

A simple, but far from silly, poem I read in my last year at school - simple words that touched me then.. and 16 years later, still ring true.

After A While

©1971 Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn

the subtle difference between

holding a hand and chaining a soul

and you learn

that love doesn't mean leaning

and company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn

that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises

and you begin to accept your defeats

with your head up and your eyes ahead

with the grace of woman,

not the grief of a child

and you learn

to build all your roads on today

because tomorrow's ground is

too uncertain for plans

and futures have a way of falling down

in mid-flight.

After a while you learn

that even sunshine burns

if you get too much

so you plant your own garden

and decorate your own soul

instead of waiting for someone

to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure

you really are strong

you really do have worth

and you learn

and you learn

with every goodbye, you learn...

Have to admit, I am still trying to plant my own garden and master the whole grace thing but I do buy my own flowers and after 6 years in Dubai I have without a doubt figured out that even sunshine burns if you get too much. I think I have mastered the build your plans on today thing, have learnt the whole love doesn't mean security lesson, have realised kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises and I've certainly learnt that you never stop learning...you learn, you learn, you learn with every goodbye, you learn...