Book of nature

The book of nature is a fine and large piece of tapestry rolled up, which we are not able to see at once, but must be content to wait for the discovery of its beauty and symmetry little by little, as it gradually comes to be unfolded.

Robert Boyle

I came across this lovely quote written on a book marker in a book I'd once read. Today I was having a little de-clutter moment in my study ... just a little de-clutter ... maybe a little more tomorrow. I wonder what other little gems lay hidden amidst the stacks of books on the shelves. The time has come to release a few more books into the wild, a tough job, but I know it's only right to set them free ...

Life teaches many lessons.

It teaches that we don't always need to understand, have all the answers, know about everything. That it's really okay to 'not know' or be unsure or uncertain, as new learning helps personal growth and development. It teaches that it's okay to be overwhelmed every now and again, the learning - sometimes we need to take life a little slower and nurture ourselves. Sometimes we can get so busy looking after someone else's needs and requirements, our own needs fall prey to neglect, being ignored and devoured by the negative gremlins. That has been my learning recently and it was both painful and uncomfortable ... however I've learned!

Life is about ...

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Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

George Bernard Shaw

How did the monkey get to the moon?

One day last week I went for a walk around Virginia Water in Windsor Great Park. It was a beautiful sunny day and several families had taken advantage of the last weekend before the schools started back. It was lovely to see children playing in the park, walking, cycling and generally having fun. In the park there stands a beautifully carved totem pole. I am a great admirer of totem poles although we don’t come across too many here in the UK. A trip to Canada several years ago really whetted my appetite for these wonderful works of art.

The 100ft totem pole in Windsor Great Park was a gift to HM Queen Elizabeth from the Canadian people in 1958.

As I stood admiring the totem pole, two little boys came running up to have a look too. The elder of the two (about 5 years old) was obviously out to teach his brother (a 3 year old) a thing or two.

“Hey Gary, have you ever seen one of these? It’s a rocket … and it flies monkeys to the moon!”

I smiled.

Sometimes things are not always what they seem.

At the dawning of the day

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I did it! - Writing at dawn – well 5.00am to be precise before the dawn broke - “Hemingway time” and on the occasion of my birthday (there were other celebrations too you’ll be pleased to hear). The 5.00am write, this was my challenge (see earlier blog 28.08.09) as a result of a provocative thought prompted by a fellow blogger.

And what was that like?

I was so concerned about not sleeping in; my internal alarm system jolted me awake at 4.45am. I guess that was my subconscious still coming to terms with the shock of a 5.00am start and the fact that I had chosen, yes, chosen of my own free will to do this. No early morning flight, no sponsored sunrise walk, no early morning business breakfast – quite simply a choice to get up and write at 5.00am.

Armed with a cup of coffee, pen and paper, I wrote and wrote and wrote about everything and anything, whatever flowed from my pen. Believe it or not, I managed to fill 10 pages of A4 (potential material for one or two blogs?). For me, there’s something quite freeing about ‘just writing’ without comments, without checking to see if you’ve spelled words correctly, without checking that the commas are in the right places, without wondering if readers will understand what you’re trying to say, without caring if you as the writer will make sense of it all in a few days time.

It was fine, it was fun, it was free flowing and I liked that. I learned a little more about me in the process too about how I think, what motivates me, what is important, how when I commit to doing something I do it. I found the early morning writing process very therapeutic and the writing tapped into memories I had almost forgotten.

Watching the dawn break and seeing the ‘gum tree’ in the garden silhouetted against the sky was a beautiful picture from Mother Nature. The stillness and sense of peace in the last morning of the summer was something quite special.

Would I repeat the experiment again? Yes, most definitely although I am wondering if perhaps I should keep it as a birthday treat from me to me!

The Field of Unknowing

I’ve just opened the gate to the ‘field of unknowing’. Well the truth is that the gate was opened for me recently when I was told that my job would be coming to an end soon. It wasn’t a surprise but I hadn’t quite expected it just now…and that’s okay because I sometimes think that having a definite date that hangs over one for too long can be tough. It can allow niggles, doubts and negative thoughts to creep in and at worst cause stress and uncertainty to grow and fester. So I’ve decided to open the gate to the field of unknowing wide, very wide and see what’s there for me, for now, for today, for tomorrow.

As I stand in the field of unknowing, I note the poppies of possibilities, the big tall daisies of decisions stretching high towards the sky, the little green shoots that sprout along the boundary fence. I can’t pretend the dandelions of destruction are out of my eye line, they’re not. I note the spiky thistle and the occasional stinging nettle. I am aware that they are there too. There are various emotions as I stand in quiet contemplation about letting go and moving on, about changes like the seasons of the year and seasons of time. And now it’s time for me to move on, to change and try something new, something different, whatever that is. There’s a little apprehension, a little excitement too and much curiosity about what the next few months will bring.