I am.

une préface.

I am.

I am a coin of the United States Army. I was minted in the year 1980. I have been punched from sheet metal. I have been stamped and cleaned; my ridges have been rimmed and beveled. Now I have two small holes in me, and am no longer in mint condition. So there’s something else I want to tell you. Right before everything went black, you want to know the very last thing that entered my mind? You. (a dramatic quote from Dear John just for kicks.)

But for real this time. I am Allie Hamilton.  I am a work in progress... and I think I like who I'm becoming.

Allie: Painting.
Noah: What?
Allie: You asked me, what I do for me...
Noah: What now?
Allie: I love to paint.
Noah: Really?
Allie: Mmm-hmm. Most of the time I have all these thoughts bouncin' around in my head... but with a brush in my hand, the world just gets kinda quiet. 

I want to disappear into the intelligent avenues of Boston where auburn leaves and bold American flags line the streets.  I want our eyes to see souls instead of bodies. How very different our ideas of beauty would be.  I want the bad things that happen in my life to transform into the best things that will ever happen to me.  I want to be lost in the right direction.  I want to know the value of a moment before it becomes a memory.  I want to take time to do what makes my soul happy.  I want kids to discover the symbolism of the green light before the teacher tells them.  I want to live for the moments I can't put into words.  But most of all, I want to be happy-it drives people crazy.

Votre ami dévouée, Allie.