Nueces para el amor y alcauciles para el olvido? “Pecans for love and artichokes for oblivion“?

There is a saying in Argentina: “Pecans for love and artichokes for oblivion“ meaning: to gain love eat pecans, to heal oblivion, artichokes“.
There is no doubt a lot is yet to be said and learned about love…. about how to love. When you think you have passed the necessary tests and you are now learned enough to dictaminate (and discriminate) in matters of the heart, you are bound to meet your ignorance in the face and just around the corner. I admit I am ignorant.
I have so much to thank Craig for. I must thank him for opening my eyes and allowing me to see the truth about my loving nature. Teaching me, for example, how tender and dedicated I can be; how a tender cuddle is worth so much in gold… how much it can say and heal; teaching me to surrrender my intimate space, even the last inch of the bed; and how important silence and listening to somebody‘s breathing are; the heat and the cold, the feet, the hands; waking up in the morning and finding a face you love, feeling skin against your skin and somebody‘s weight next to yours, or on top of you when you love that person; falling asleep inside a nest of arms…; playing with the most simple toys: my fingers, his hair, my arms, his feet, how, after all, I love tickles if he is tickling me… I have to thank him for teaching me how to tolerate what I thought was intolerable. Saying what I never could say before…
But, what is the limit of Love? When must it end, where does it end? When can you or should you expect more in exchange of what you give? How do you value what you give?
There was a time when I thought I knew the answers to those questions but I see now that I have forgotten them.
If it is true that pecans bring love and artichokes heal oblivion… which will I end up eating in the end?

No cabe duda de que mucho queda por aprender sobre el amor... sobre el amar. Cuando uno piensa que ha aprobado todas las lecciones y que es capaz de dictaminar (de discriminar) en materia de cariño se encuentra siempre con la ignorancia de frente a la vuelta de la esquina. Yo me reconozco ignorante.
Tengo mucho que agradecerle a Craig. Tengo que agradecerle que me abriera los ojos y me permitiera ver las verdades sobre mi naturaleza amorosa. Que me enseñara por ejemplo lo tierna y dedicada que puedo ser; cuánto vale una caricia, cuánto puede decir y sanar; que me enseñara a dormir rindiendo mi espacio íntimo, rindiendo hasta el último centímetro y lo importante que son la respiración y el silencio, el frío y el calor, las manos y los pies; despertarse en la mañana y encontrar el rostro amado; acostarse en la noche en un nido hecho de brazos.
Tengo que agradecerle que me enseñara a tolerar lo que creía intolerable. A perdonar lo que parecía imperdonable. A decir lo que para mí era indecible... pero...
¿Cuál es el límite del amor? ¿Cuándo debería terminarse?¿Cuánto puede uno esperar a cambio de lo que da?
Alguna vez supe las respuestas a esas preguntas pero sin darme cuenta las olvidé.
Si es cierto que las nueces traen amor y los alcauciles curan el olvido... ¿cuál escogeré al final de cuentas?


Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons evrywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on evryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really dont know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As evry fairy tale comes real
Ive looked at love that way

But now its just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, dont let them know
Dont give yourself away

Ive looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
Its loves illusions I recall
I really dont know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
Ive looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say Ive changed
Well somethings lost, but somethings gained
In living evry day

Ive looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all
Ive looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all

Joni Mitchell (“Both sides now“)