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Today the sunlight conjured the most brilliant of mosaics, reflecting from each leaf and wisp of cloud. It was as if there was a pure joy in the light, as if it were happy to create art where it shone, warm and steady. It was as the smiles of friends, as fresh rain after summer sun, something to quench and soothe all at once.
It is our passions that bring us health, be it sport, the arts, nature or academic curiosity; thus to deny a child the right to learn through their passions is to deny them health. We are all perfect for something, it simply takes a little patient observation and a warm dose of love to discover the God-given talents within, the seeds awaiting light and rain.
No, man, I'm not saying you're a coward... just that I'm so impressed that you're walking around so soon after a total spine-ectomy. Tell me how many times I ignored you when you needed me... now reverse that around and ask again. I realise I'm being a total spite-fire, but right now that's all I got, it's not as if you were ever gonna show up, was it?
It is to the forest I go for rest, for serenity that flows as cool river waters. There is something about the sparkle upon the blue, a melody without a rhythm, music without sound. Above wave the great arms, clothed in the greens of every palate and none, the verdant hues of nature's free dreams. In that place I become a part of that art, of that three dimensional creation of time and space, of a greater evolutionary span than my brain can fathom. It's when I stop knowing and begin feeling, it's when I hear with my heart the voices of these mighty trees, "Sister, welcome."
"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine and the lies go down, man. The soft art of the great teacher to weave the new into the old and help the brain to learn can be mimicked by the liars. They speak softly, use common wisdom and slide the lie right in."
"So how do you tell who's who?"
"No king runs when fear comes knocking, no queen nor warrior neither. A master who requires a whip is no master at all. The hero will sacrifice the self if needed, brave and wise. True leaders lead because people trust them enough to want to follow them. The liar will mimic, be a peacock in every parade, yet be careful to keep a whip in case the mask falls."
Sickness so often comes in waves rather than simply one thing at a time, yet in those long stretches of health I never think how healthy things happen in bunches too, building me higher and stronger. I guess it's all about making the most of the good stuff and letting the bad stuff pass by as if it were elevator music. So, this crick in my neck, this cold, these muscle aches and head pain that comes as a slowly building bruise... it's all part of living, of reminding me to value health and care for those who ail.
After every mountain peak there's another, yet the climbing is everything. With each stretch I reach higher; with each stride I'm stronger, I keep gaining a little more to carry me through the times of hardship. I feel the winter wind as a coldness to teach me to stay warm inside. I feel sharp rocks as a whisper to walk lightly. Those times the clouds shower me with their icy love, I let it remind me of the tears I prevent by walking these ways... and it makes me move all the faster. That's why I win, 'cause I learn from what's hard and sprint when the weather is fair. So if you wanna walk with me, that would be so sweet, just watch me and learn. One day you'll be the master teaching and I'll be in my rocking chair on some sunny porch. So, are you coming or what?
In those difficult times he was the king we needed, down to earth and real. He showed us what he'd learnt in life - the value of nature and the simple things. He drank water, tea, normal things. He loved gardening, growing vegetables with his grandchildren and being in the company of animals. He was humble about his mistakes, obviously scarred, but so bold in his will to love deeply. That's the example that helped our nation on the road to a kind of healing, seeing that we too could make amends by living well, respecting both nature and one another.
When we are afraid, when we are under stress, we speed up our brain's "angry-face search app" but, as we get faster, we get less accurate. We start to see angry faces that aren't there, reading calm faces as angry. And the stress hormones don't choose what we fear, they amp up whatever we've learned to fear. That's why society falls apart under ongoing stress - cracking us at our weak-points, spreading hate and indifference like a damn virus.
There is beauty here for eyes born as free and loving souls, for the heart that hears the soft song of the wind as soothing as the sweetest of lullabies. For there are daisies that grow tall and pure upon our earth, reaching upwards in sunshine, blessed by rain, free for all to enjoy. There are the clouds who sail above, creating new art by the moment, naturally evolving from one masterpiece to the next, a perfect picture of time without hands or measure, always onward, more honest than any clock. This beauty is an ever-present season, yet it feels as a summer, one that remains regardless of all else. It is a beauty asking softly if we are going to "Scarborough Fair," and what will we do when we get there? Will we rediscover simple love and find it dwells within us too, that love is the most magical of mirrors, making not a reflection but a real seed that matters, one capable of growing. This simple beauty of nature is enough to rescue us all, it's time to believe in the most humble of beautiful miracles.
Let learning be as a child who laughs, running up a helter-skelter at a fun-fair. Every step is a joy, each step ascended with ease as the brain fills with a pure happiness, one born of curiosity and the anticipation of discovery. Then comes the "Aha" moment as we ride the exhilaration back to the ground, smiling, eager to find new stairs. This is what the great teacher knows.
To the foolish teacher, or even the cruel 'master,' learning is mountain to force others to climb, finding reasons to blame and shame those who fail. They dictate where to climb and how, defining the exact destination, using bribes and threats of all kinds. What is the point of such a method when everyone does better with the great teacher?
So live at the fun fair, learn with love and joy, sharing with your playful heart and the innocence with which you were born.
New white rays shine through window and curtain just the same, showing the beauty of the many tan hues that weave together to make the fabric I love so much. The browns are as varied as sand dunes at dawn, as pretty as the lightest of wood carried ashore upon windswept waves. Amid the light I see the beams as if they wave with the undulating pleats, yet in truth they are strong and true, giving structure and form. As the moments pass the intensity rises and softens, bold and gentle, telling of the day that passes in the world beyond.
