3
" It was magic to be above [the clouds], to see their uppermost contours, the way they caught the light and held it, their vast shadows moving upon the face of the earth. I wished I could open the window and know what the world sounded like at that altitude. I thought about the solitude of that world, how it must be inhabited by the voice of the wind, only. ... I thought about what my crows saw as they flew above canyons and treetops, the birds-eye view of life. They would recognize specific trees, perches, and nesting sites from a completely different perspective than I could. Their maps differed from mine; they knew the topography, the contours of the landscape, on a much grander scale. "
― Elizabeth J. Church , The Atomic Weight of Love
16
" My eighty-eight birthday arrives shortly. I cannot fathom that number of years. I admit to seeing an old woman when I look in the mirror–the short, wispy, flyaway white hair that is evident I cut myself, the thick population of brown spots on the backs of my hands and forearms, the still–vibrant blue eyes– and I am surprised, always, because inside, where I live, I am at most forty, still eager for change, still hungry for learning, still curious, still yearning. "
― Elizabeth J. Church , The Atomic Weight of Love