Samira

many of you are fully aware what mantra comes out of my mouth whenever paul’s not around, but in case you need a reminder: life’s boring without paul. i honestly have a hard time letting him sleep, because he’s just an abundance of newness :-) every day i am so amazed at how much i continue to learn from him. his mind, his creativity, his sensitivity and his compassion–the sum of these parts that make up the whole uniqueness that is paul: he challenges me in ways that make me feel alive, renewed, childlike and, at the same time, wiser. why 37? that’s how many times he’s travelled around the sun! lucky guy! and, although these can’t even begin to approximate the number of reasons why i love paul, here are 37, in no particular order, mainly to say: thank you for you, Paul. happy birthday. Paul:

1. says he threw his mom upside down on her head when he was born.
2. makes new cat toys and furniture out of boxes and string and bags and shelves probably every week. he loves our cat more than i know how to describe, really.
3. is an incredibly gifted artist. if you haven’t seen any of it yet, make it a point to do so: it will blow you away.
4. loves to take things apart, but he *also* puts them back together.
5. *loves loves loves* children, and they love him back.
6. never takes the same route home: he consciously challenges his own routines.
7. is a fucking amazing dancer. when you watch him dance, you can see how much music means to him.
8. i bet he’s been to over 90% of all my gigs, since we’ve been together: probably somewhere around 300 or so. and now that i think about it, wow babe, i’m sorry for the times i’ve hassled you to come to a gig with me.
9. says verse-visa.
10. has slid down the stairs, face down on a piece of cardboard, countless times.
11. has pictures of the rugburns to prove it.
12. lets me sleep in the car and gets us home safely at the end of long weekend.
13. cries more than anybody i have ever met.
14. taught me how to cry.
15. taught me how to laugh.
16. is still teaching me how to do both those things.
17. had a nightmare & when i woke him to see if he was ok, he said he most certainly had a nightmare, because he needed cheese.
18. put a button in my car after the fan broke, so i could turn it on manually.
19. loves squished pennies, and dreams of owning his own a penny squishing machine.
20. says i’m silly like my little pony all grown up.
21. is the master of taking self-portraits [see picture in my previous post].
22. is hank. and lassiter. and…
23. refers to the harmony between us as riding on the same bicycle.
24. leaves little notes for me all the time, for example:
25. when i get up, the first thing i’ll grab are my glasses, so there’s one note,
26. and, then, i’ll put on my rings–note #2,
27. and then i’ll get dressed, where i’ll find #3,
28. grab keys, etc. more notes..he’ll do this for my night time ritual, as well.
29. will now probably tell me that my last 5 reasons were cheating ;-)
30. is an incredible kisser.
31. is a most amazing lover.
32. loves blinky lights and lasers and fireworks and discoballs and stickers.
33. is very good at manouvring his way through bureaucracies: banks, insurance companies, bill collectors, landlords. i can’t believe how patient, calm and professional he is. i don’t know how i would manage these situations without him.
34. knows how to let me be me, but also how and when to hold me.
35. has the will-power when i don’t, the strength when i don’t, the optimism when i don’t.
36. is very perceptive, because he is actively introspective. it’s how he can smile so much, and laugh so much: he perseveres through his hardships so gracefully. i mean, look at him!
37. calls me his beautiful beautiful angel girl and this is how i know, every day, that i have a lot to live for.

i love you, baby. happy birthday. sam