Brian Andreas, You Say It So Well

"I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that."
— Brian Andreas (Story People)



"She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short."




"You're the strangest person I ever met, she said & I said you too & we decided we'd know each other a long time. "




"Anyone can slay a dragon ...but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero. "



"I was waiting for the longest time, she said. I thought you forgot.

It is hard to forget, I said, when there is such an empty space when you are gone."



"We lay there and looked up at the night sky and she told me about stars called blue squares and red swirls and I told her I'd never heard of them. Of course not, she said, the really important stuff they never tell you. You have to imagine it on your own."


"Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."


"He loved her for almost everything she was & she decided that was enough to let him stay for a very long time. "


"You may not remember the time you let me go first.
Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn't that far to go.
Or the time you waited at the crossroads for me to catch up.
You may not remember any of those, but I do and this is what I have to say to you:

Today, no matter what it takes,
we ride home together." "
— Brian Andreas (Traveling Light: Stories & Drawings for a Quiet Mind)


"I wish you could have been there for the sun & the rain & the long, hard hills. For the sound of a thousand conversations scattered along the road. For the people laughing & crying & remembering at the end. But, mainly, I wish you could have been there."


"I saw them standing there pretending to be just friends, when all the time in the world could not pry them apart. "


"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life. "


"Don't you hear it? She asked & I shook my head no & then she started to dance & suddenly there was music everywhere & it went on for a very long time & when I finally found words all I could say was thank you. "
— Brian Andreas (Story People)


"If you hold on to the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you.
"

"In the end, I think that I will like that we were sitting on the bed, talking & wondering where the time had gone."



"For a long time she flew, only when she thought no one else was watching."


"A few said they'd be horses. Most said they'd be some sort of cat. My friend said she'd like to come back as a porcupine. I don't like crowds, she said. "


"I have too much to lose, she said, if I cross that line. Like what? I said. She could not think of anything that day so she said she'd get back to me. Since then I've been thinking what I would lose if I cross my line & I haven't come up with anything either. There's always another line somewhere. "



"They came to sit & dangle their feet off the edge of the world & after awhile they forgot everything but the good & true things they would do someday. "


"I held her close for only a short time, but after she was gone, I'd see her smile on the face of a perfect stranger and I knew she would be there with me all the rest of my days."
— Brian Andreas (Strange Dreams - Collected Stories & Drawings)


"There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise. "


"if there is any secret to this life i live, this is it: the sound of what cannot be seen sings within everything that can. and there is nothing more to it than that."


"There was a single blue line of crayon drawn across every wall in the house. What does it mean? I asked. A pirate needs the sight of the sea, he said and then he pulled his eye patch down and turned and sailed away."


"Are you a princess? I said & she said I'm much more than a princess, but you don't have a name for it yet here on earth. "


"I'm not sure if there's one right place I'm supposed to be, he said, but I know a couple of wrong places I'd give a second try in a heartbeat. "


"Remember to use positive affirmations. I am not a dork is not one of them."


"I spent a long time trying to find my center until I looked closely at it one night & found it had wheels and moved easily in the slightest breeze. So now I spend less time sitting and more time sailing. "
— Brian Andreas (Story People)


"Is willing to accept that she creates her own reality except for some of the parts where she can't help but wonder what the hell she was thinking"



"Trapped mainly by wanting things to be exactly as they are, only better "


"I once had a garden filled with flowers that grew only on dark thoughts but they need constant attention & one day I decided I had better things to do. "


"In my dream, the angel shrugged and said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination and then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand."



"Your job is to focus on my personal happiness, she said, & I've got big plans, so break time is over. "


"I don't really like coffee, she said, but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either. "



"I didn't listen to her because she was my mother & wouldn't know anything until I was much older."


"feels like some kind of ride but it's turning out just
to be life going absolutely perfectly"


"If you're right & I'm not, I'm going to be hell to live with, she said. So, you better think about that next time you want to be right. "


"I have a renewed commitment to elegance, she said, in case you think I'm just spending money for the fun of it. "


"I used to believe my father about everything but then I had children myself & now I see how much stuff you make up just to keep yourself from going crazy."
— Brian Andreas (Story People)


"I've read a lot of books, so I know bunches of stuff that sounds like it could be true."


"You may not remember the time you let me go first.
Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn't that far to go.
Or the time you waited at the crossraods for me to catch up.
You may not remember any of those, but I do and this is what I have to say to you:
Today, no matter what it takes,
we ride home together."
— Brian Andreas (Traveling Light: Stories & Drawings for a Quiet Mind)


"She said she used to cry every day, not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful, and life was so short."


"time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life. "


"Wanting him to come back before anyone notices part of the world has not moved since he left."


"Hoping something will happen soon, so she can sit down & watch it with a fresh bowl of popcorn."


"We sat in the car
& the night dropped
down until the
only sounds were
the crickets &
the dance of our voices

& for a moment
the world became
small enough to
roll back & forth
between us."
— Brian Andreas (Hearing Voices - Collected Stories & Drawings)




"The clock is a conspiracy & a crime against humanity
and I would not own one
except I miss appointments without it."



"What I'm mostly good at is sleeping, he once told me in confidence, but he added, I don't see much future in it."



"We lay there & looked up at the night sky & she told me about stars called blue squares & red swirls & I told her I'd never heard of them. Of course not, she said, the really important stuff they never tell you. You have to imagine it on your own. "


"In those days, we finally chose to walk like giants and hold the world in arms grown strong with love
And there may be many things we forget in the days to come,
But this will not be one of them."


"This is a giant block of whatever is most difficult for you to carry & trust me on this, you'll carry it more times than you can count until you decide that's exactly what you want to do most & then it won't weigh a thing anymore
"