Flickr photographer jack weisberg
An updated essay from Anne’s original journal

My Aunt Naomi says that reading my letters is an adventure in itself. She never knows where she’s going, when she opens the envelope. And often … neither do I when I begin writing.  In truth, I’ve left parts of myself and unfinished business all over the world. Fragments of me are also spread across the website, difficult to track at times because I tell too many stories at the same time.

It seems that now is the time to look back into my writing … considering the years after I returned to New York from Ohio, where I stayed after leaving Victoria’s Secret to continue my eight-year relationship.

I originally wrote “Life Is For The Birds” after Sept. 11 and more importantly at a time when I launched this ‘Life Journey’ of mine for real. I’ll do my best not to be too confusing as this tale unravels. More than one editor considers my writing style a nightmare.

“Life Is For The Birds”, written Jan. 15, 2002

Forgive the superlatives, but I shop at the most picturesque food market on the planet: Whole Foods in Edgewater, NJ.

Flickr photographer Lesliepear

Last week, I experienced a life lesson in their parking lot, trying to avoid a hundred sea gulls prancing around like dancers, double-daring me to harm just one feather. I like to drive fast, but I inched along in the Whole Foods parking lot, cajoling these sea birds to give me an opening. “Come on birds,” I pleaded in frustration. “Give me a break.”

I drove my five-speed sports coupe masterfully and prided myself on being able to answer almost any question in cyberspace in under 60 seconds. I’ve travelled around the world over 100 times from New York to Europe and then Asia and home. Round and round the world I went for 10 years.

Nevertheless, these birds stopped me dead in my tracks.

Flickr photographer Belle’sDaddy

“So like what’s the story,” I asked my sea gulls. “I’m on a tight schedule; with a meeting a 3, and I’m way behind in my writing. What  can I do to expedite this stalemate? There is a solve to every life situation. Let’s negotiate.”