Three things from DAH. 

DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. "And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges."

First up this week, Mirrors …  
Look in a mirror and what do you see? Usually, I'd like to see something different. I've had discussions about vulnerability this week. We all see ourselves in particular ways. Most of us develop self-preservation techniques, personality covering cloaks that reduce vulnerability. As a young and confident actor, I twice enjoyed (not the right word) directors working determinedly to break down my carefully crafted façade. They sought truth or purity by penetrating my protective outer layer. Those were difficult and emotional experiences. They changed what I saw in the mirror, in myself. I became more willing to be vulnerable. Now, I find I care far less for mirrors than I do for how family and friends respond to me. I prefer myself reflected back by my nearest and dearest. Unless I'm shaving.
Good Friends Are Like Mirrors: They See You Perfectly

Second up this week, Mum …  
I was in my 40s before I wondered if my mother liked being called … whatever name I was using for her that week (I kept trying out new ones): Mother, Mom, Moms, Mama, Ma. So I asked her, "What would you like me to call you?" She took me seriously (she was good at that), thought for a bit, and suggested that I call her Mum. "That's what I called my Mum, and I'd like that, it would feel nice." Ever after she was Mum to me, and Mum-Anne to my friends. Such a small thing, but it seemed to make her happy. I did long to make her happy. How do we label those closest to us? I play with names and nicknames all the time. Would that I could always use a name that made those dear to me feel honored and loved and happy. Also, I so miss my one called Mum.
How Many Ways Can You Say Mom?

Third up this week, Muscadet …  
I just purchased some Chardonnay from a Muscadet producer. Which is all wrong. It's the wrong grape, you see. And before you go down the rabbit hole of "it's some sweet Muscat thing" I must stop you. Muscadet has nothing to do with Muscat. Muscat is a distinctively perfumed family of grapes, usually made into sweet wine. Muscadet is a light, dry white wine made at the western end of the Loire River Valley from the grape variety Melon de Bourgogne. The wine is ubiquitous in Paris wine bars because it pairs so well with le fruits de mer. Most shops near me offer at least one Muscadet on their shelves. And yet DAH online-purchased a Chardonnay from Muscadet. Why? Because I like racy dry white wines, and I like Chardonnay. And that's what this is.
Muscadet - A Wine Story

A Book I'm Finally Reading: How to Be a Good Creature, by Sy Montgomery. 
"This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of thirteen animals—Sy's friends—and the truths revealed by their grace. It also explores vast themes: the otherness and sameness of people and animals; the various ways we learn to love and become empathetic; how we find our passion; how we create our families; coping with loss and despair; gratitude; forgiveness; and most of all, how to be a good creature in the world." (from the author's website)

And a bit more:

No Images, by William Waring Cuney

She does not know
her beauty,
she thinks her brown body
has no glory.

If she could dance
naked
under palm trees
and see her image in the river,
she would know.

But there are no palm trees
on the street,
and dish water gives back
no images.


And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …  

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it. 

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