A Life of Wonder

notebook page 1, originally uploaded by rachelyra.

I moved recently and threw so much away. Boxes with board games, wool sweaters, blenders, toys for kids and dogs, paintings from flea markets, pictures, ads from vintage Life magazines, a broken vacuum cleaner, holiday greeting cards, socks with holes and a cowboy hat to name just a few things. As I created piles for Goodwill, to throw away and for the new place, I found myself not just sorting items into categories, but actively looking for a certain thing to save…The small notes I wrote on napkins, the line of poetry scribbled on a meeting agenda, a ticket stub meant so more more to me than most of what I owned. Why is it that it’s not until you get to throwing away items and sorting them that you realize how important they are?

This made want to bring these reflections and notes into my life more often… And it also now reminds me of a story a close friend told me. She asked me about my favorite restaurant, and I told her. Then she said how often do I eat there, and the answer was far less than many other restaurants I frequent monthly. You think if it were my favorite I would visit it more often?

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I took this photo from my iPhone while wandering around Harvard Square.  It’s a Sherpard Fiery piece located on a random wall near a hospital and a frozen yogurt shop. What I love about the work is how others have added to it. It’s the aging from the street, combined with the local graffiti, that makes this so beautiful.

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O velho no caminho, originally uploaded by jaci XIII.

I have a ritual, a small one but an important one. It’s listening to the On Being podcast during evening work outs, very late, when no one is around. The subject matter is compelling and complex, and it’s exhilarating to exercise the mind and the body at the same time.
Yesterday, I listened to the On Being podcast on “The History of Doubt,” recorded in 2007. Two anecdotes about Alexander the Great were discussed, which I want to share with you. I’ll share one today and the other soon.

Here is an excerpt from a conversation between Alexander the Great and the cynic and philosopher Diogenes:

“One day, Alexander the Great visited Diogenes. Alexander was Diogenes’s biggest fan and had dropped by to pay his respects. At the end of the visit, Diogenes asked Alexander what his plans were. Alexander answered that he planned to conquer and subjugate Greece. Then what? Diogenes asked. Alexander said that he planned to conquer and subjugate Asia Minor. And then? Alexander said that he planned to conquer and subjugate the world.

Diogenes, who was not easily dissuaded from a line of inquiry, posed the question again: What next? Alexander the Great told Diogenes that after all that conquering and subjugating, he planned to relax and enjoy himself. Diogenes responded: Why not save yourself a lot of trouble by relaxing and enjoying yourself now?”

This theme is timeless and reoccurs in different cultures. I know you’re familiar with the Carpe Diem concept. It’s also something I struggle with, this tension between building for a great future and living fully in the present. They do not have to be mutually exclusive.

At least I hope not.

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Coming down the hill, originally uploaded by Steve-h.

Why do people read poems like they are yawning, or trying to awaken some great fog in their throat. Whose voice is that they use, whose voice that says those words as if using that voice – that poetry voice – makes the world more holy. That’s why I love images more than these words, spoken in this way, because no voice is needed for an image.

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Some will seek forgiveness, originally uploaded by Ttops.

I am very moved and disturbed by this true story. A father murdered his wife and daughter. HIs teenage son forgave him in court. Here’s his words:

“Even though you failed me, I still wish the best for you. We do have second chances. I want to be different from everybody else. I want to show people there is a God in this world.”

See: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2011/07/09/2011-07-09_queens_teen_forgives_dad_who_slit_throats_of_his_mom_and_bro_i_still_wish_the_be.html

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Rushdie puts forward a beautiful notion that universal beauty is delivered through creating something specific…

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old man and his pint, originally uploaded by gagilas.

An older man complained to me about reporting to a younger man. “How, after 30 years of working, should I report to some iPhone-loving kid half my age,” he asked me.

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Hovercraft, originally uploaded by Minette Layne.

I met a woman who compared herself to a hummingbird. I thought about the way the bird hovers in mid-air and its tiny, heroic wings. As I learned more about the bird, it saddens me how frantic it seems and how distrustfully it drinks the sugar water from the red feeder, as if each sip might be its last.

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One day there were flowers and toys tapped to the middle of the bridge by my house. No explanation, none needed really. Every time I pass I think about the child who must have passed away there, the child without a name.

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