Sick

Today I am nursing a cold that started on the weekend. Since Sunday my diet has consisted of tea and soup. Having a cold is like sitting in church: my activities are limited, so the creative ideas are flowing like Niagara Falls. Over the weekend I devoured a book of short stories by Amy Bloom called Where the God of Love Hangs Out. The writing is crisp and clear and Bloom covers a lot of ground in two sets of linked short stories: "William and Clare" and "Lionel and Julia." What grabbed me was how the intervals between each of the linked stories was integral. This reminds me of a Kahlil Gibran poem about marriage from his book The Prophet. Here are two excerpts: 


"But let there be spaces in your togetherness."... "And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow." -- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet


I mostly read non-fiction, but I'm in a short story frame of mind. I like how the exquisite writing tickles my brain. Being sick has its benefits.