A thought, from Borges:
I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited.
I would certainly agree–to the extent that novels and poetry have provided the scaffolding on which my heart was built; and the people I’ve met, the family bonds I’ve sustained, the strong female friendships I’ve had and the men I’ve loved have all shaped it further into a real structure; and the cities I’ve visited, near and far, have shaded its parts so as to make it feel whole.
Ah, Borges.
I really appreciated this last post. It’s interesting how we can bring together all the things in our lives to form a group of one. Whereas we usually think of a group as number of things that should be classed together, what really makes life is the collection of separate things, ideas, ect. that create a group that wouldn’t normally be classed together. This second kind of group should not be overlooked in regards to the process of creation.
Thanks for the comment! Of course, I think Borges is brilliant. But you’re right: there are so many things that bring our sense of self together, and there is almost no part of lived experience we can dismiss.