Beyond FOOD FOR THOUGHT: From Gabriel García Márquez’s LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA

“She made a long and detailed tour with no planned itinerary, stopping with no other motive than her unhurried delight in the spirit of things. She entered every doorway where there was something for sale, and everywhere she found something that increased her desire to live. She relished the aroma of vetiver in the cloth in the great chests, she wrapped herself in embossed silks…. In the spice shop she crushed leaves of sage and oregano in the palms of her hands for the pure pleasure of smelling them….”

As I read I jot down lines I love—usually in journals but that’s not always the convenient option. Rather than continue to scatter these gems and hide/lose them forever, I thought I’d start “jotting” them down here for others to read…and me to better remember. Some I like because they capture a fleeting truth; others, like this one, reveal why certain writers continue to amaze with their specific, deliberate manipulations of the written word. I crave such patience and deliberation…as a writer, as a parent, as a person.

p.s. “Vetiver” is a grass from India with aromatic roots; its oil is used in perfumes. And yes, I just looked that up!