Slow-dancing in a burning room

Short Story Sunday:

I watched her walking away from me, her heels tapping a seductive rhythm and her hips trailing an invitation. Her riot of untamed curls danced in the breeze and I longed to bury my nose in them. To breathe in that alabaster fragrance she usually wrapped herself in had long been a temptation.

The worst pain I had ever felt was looking into her eyes and watching her heart break. I’d always known I’d do it. It had been on my to do list, just above Hitting Rock Bottom.

 3 years since I’d last seen her. Everything had changed and yet nothing had.

 I listened to the comforting sound of my slowing pulse the further away she became. Maybe if I were lucky my heart would stop, the finality echoing in my hollow shell. I’d just drop to the pavement right here on Everdeen St, scaring the hell out of passerby. She weaved between the other pedestrians to stop at the corner awaiting the light. Here was my chance. A better man would chase after her. I was dying without her and I knew it but I couldn’t take her down with me. I turned and began my retreat, leaving the future I wanted in the past I hated. 

The air thickened around me and an electric current tickled my spine. That nearly ever-present feeling of danger greeted me. No one else ever felt it but I knew it to be very real. It was the reason I usually kept my senses numb with layers of substances. Rubbing the nape of my neck, I peered around myself for the menace or victim but nothing and no one in particular stood out.  They never did and it didn’t matter anyway, I was never able to help them.

I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the Palazzio Palace apartments like a boulder in a stream watching the current pass me completely oblivious to the encroaching danger. I knew better than to chalk this up to paranoia but I was just beginning to relax when I heard the screech of tires on asphalt. There were screams and shouts for assistance as people rushed to the scene of the accident. My only thought was maybe I should have chased after her. Then Death could’ve claimed us both.

KILL BILL

I am not planning to kill anyone named Bill and I don't recommend that you do so either.
However, I was oddly inspired by the heroine of the movie. Beatrice made her Vengeance List, tapped into a well of inner strength and determination and focused her energy like a laser to reach her goal.

I usually have a ton of disjointed ideas and thoughts floating around in my head so the ability to focus is a Herculean task. I have taken to making lists and setting deadlines as alluded to in my previous post on the 4Hr workweek and Tim Ferris's Dreamlining recommendation. I am finding that this simple act is working like a charm.
Killing Bill would be my goal. So jot down your goal, be specific.
Now comes the first step. Some would say start small but I feel that getting the large task accomplished first will make the rest a breeze. That first task would be my Oren Ishii.
In the movie Kill Bill, Oren was in my opinion Beatrice's best opponent. Even actually Killing Bill was a skate after Oren. So tackle the large hurdle first. You can't half-step with Oren. Bring your Hattori Hanzo sword. In other words, bring your A-Game.

An example of my Kill Bill Death List and my Oren:

Drop half of my current body weight
1. 1 hr of excercise a day

I have already dropped appr 25lbs in the last month so I'd say I'm on target.
One step that is on all of my Kill Bill Lists...Reward myself for a job well done.

Envision the goal, the destination. Remember to plan and enjoy the journey.

Understanding Men

So I'm reading a book by TD Jakes called "The Lady, her Lover and her Lord."
The book is to offer inspired advice for women who want to enrich their relationships with themselves, their men and their God.
Now, even though this is geared towards women I honestly think a lot of men would love this book. I think it would help them to understand a good woman's heart a little better. I could be wrong but I think Bishop Jakes adequately speaks for Men, the things they need and want etc.
For example he talks about things such as if a woman wants her man's love, if she truly wants to protect his heart like we all should (as his rib) then she must first earn his trust. Not just in the sense that she will never cheat on him but he has to trust her not to run and tell all of his business to her friends. Which I personally always thought was foolish anyway. That's his business, not theirs. He also has to trust that she won't change. Men like to know what they're getting.
My Great-grandma passed that down to her girls. She told us "You start out the way you can hold out." If you start a relationship one way such as catering to him, picking up after him and the like, don't change the game 3 months in. Now you're giving him dirty looks cause you don't wanna pick up his drawers. "Start out the way you can hold out."
But back to Bishop Jakes...He goes on to say how if a man's trust is violated he shuts down. We all know men communicate differently so he communicates how he feels by the fact that he will just shut down internally.
There is so much more to this book but I really wish I knew some men who'd read it just so I could get their opinion on it.
For instance: Did you know that apparently most men hate satin sheets? Bishop Jakes hilariously clarifies how men can't seem to get their ...purchase or balance on satin sheets, 8 )
If you've read it, pls share your thoughts.