To flow with the Tao.

Flow with the Tao.

All of my life from a very early age I have been a political animal. A political animal who also took on board being religious. How many times I have heard that well-known chestnut, "Two things that should never be discussed, politics and religion." Coming from where I had journeyed that kind of left me stymied, nothing to say.

What I learned from this was that there were times when you raise either of those topics and other times when you certainly did not. But then there have been times when I knew it was wrong and still ploughed in because I felt very strongly about what was being said.

In this blog, I have tried very hard never to stray too deeply into either but I am sure my views have been there beneath the lines. This may be the case today but let me promise you I am not meaning to take any side.

The "painting" on the page is an abstract I painted after looking at an ancient Chinese black and white drawing. I will purposely not say too much more about it and leave you with your own thoughts.

Lao Tzu said that we should be like a river flowing taking always the simple and easy way causing as little upset and disturbance as possible.

But let me share a rather easier tale and thought. This one comes from the American Indians.

The rivers were extremely annoyed and unhappy. When they started flowing from high up in the mountains, they were merely tiny streams and later they would increase in their volume as they reached the plains. During the winter and rainy seasons, their water would swell and overflow, while the scorching heat of the summer reduced them to a trickle. However, they still flourished and managed to keep flowing.

Now at the end of their journey, they were destined to merge with the sea. After flowing through all the mountains, plateaus and hills, they would finally lose their freedom forever.

They knew that there were no means could they stop themselves from flowing, so they flowed till they reached the vast sea. 

The rivers were very upset and complained, "Not only is it wrong that we have to merge, but it is also very unfortunate that our clean and sweet water will now get mixed with awfully tasteless and salty water of the sea."

The sea overheard them complaining and said, "If you think that you can survive all by yourself, then go away. You don’t have to merge anymore. Enjoy your clean and sweet water all by yourself.”

The rivers could never really do that. Even if they can manage to flow in the opposite direction by changing their course, they would never survive without merging with the sea. 

All rivers that did not merge with the sea dried up and died. It is only the sea that can keep the river full and flowing.

The rivers realised this and finally flowed into the sea. 

Freedom is of no use if you do not survive to enjoy it. Being isolated and on your own in the dream you are in total control is foolish pride. Peace and harmony come not out of isolation but in cooperation and unity.

I say no more and leave you with my little thought and my abstract painting that I already know is not too many peoples idea of art.  

Go with the flow in unity and love. 

Go for it.

The River at Airvault

I wrote yesterday about seeing things from a different perspective, that in every situation there is always a positive way to look at something and a negative way. The choice is always, not just often, always in our hands. This is so because it is us that has to make the choices. 

Having looked at my little wall as a crumbling ruin I also saw it as a glorious amalgamation of shapes and colours. So it did not meet with everybody's approval but it did meet with mine bringing colour into what has been a pretty bleak week. Of course, nobody will ever hang it on their wall but that will not really matter will it? No, it has already achieved what I set out to achieve, that was to brighten my miserable day. 

I will never forget the day my grandmother and I held a conversation that keeps coming back to me. 

I was worried about taking a chance. The opportunity to go study was there, it meant giving up a very secure occupation.  My worry was regretting my choice. My grandmother hugged me and said, “Trust me, Ralph, that is not what you’re going to regret when you’re my age.  If anything, you will likely kick yourself a little for not taking more chances on the infinite number of opportunities you have today.”

The fact is this, no matter what age we are or where we have arrived in life there will always be decisions to be made and regrets about the choices we make unless of course we never make any choices and just do nothing.

Another conversation I had is one I will equally never forget. it was a conversation I had with my dad about living and growing through adversity.  

One of the last things he said resonated with me so much, I wrote it down sometime later to the very best of my recollection. 

“It’s been my experience that most people are never truly happy until they’ve had many reasons to be sad.  I believe this is because it takes all of those bad days and hardships to teach us how to truly appreciate what we have.  It builds our resilience.”

Not exactly the same as seeing things differently much more a case of seeing things as they are. 

Keeping these blogs short and to the point sitting leaning over a laptop is not really what I should be doing at all I suspect. 

Hae a great day do not waste precious moments wondering just do it as I am sure I have heard somewhere before.

To see things differently!

I was walking yesterday when I passed a little old broken wall with some dead twigs clinging to it. Something you can pass on most walks in the country most times. As I looked at it I began to think could I see this any other way? The state my head is in at present I thought it should be simple to do. 

I smiled as I took a photograph of it and my wicked little mind began to turn and I heard the cogs clank into place. If I can change this into an abstract and if I show both the photograph and the painting nobody will ever have the nerve to ask me if it is a painting or a photograph? That being said I I am sure I have some friends who just might have a wicked sense of humour.

It is a bit like the glass half empty or the glass half full. How do we look at life?

Here are three very little illustrations from my preaching days that make the point better than I ever could.

The first is a little true story about a father and son out walking together. The son tells the tale.

This morning, like he has every morning for the last decade, my 86-year-old grandfather picked a fresh wildflower on his morning walk and took it to my grandmother.  

This morning I decided to go with him to see her.  And as he placed the flower on her gravestone, he looked at me and said, “I just wish I had picked her a fresh flower every morning when she was alive.  She would have loved that.”

The loss of his beloved wife had shown him not only how much he missed her but how much he wished he had been different. 

The second is another true tale told by a friend.

Today, on my 47th birthday, I re-read the suicide letter I wrote on my 27th birthday about two minutes before my girlfriend showed up at my apartment and told me, "I’m pregnant.’" 

She was the only reason I didn’t follow through with it.  Suddenly I felt I had something to live for.  Today she’s my wife, and we’ve been happily married for 19 years.  And my daughter, who is now a 21-year-old college student, has two younger brothers.  I re-read my suicide letter every year on my birthday as a reminder to be thankful. 

I am thankful I got a second chance at life. 

Here the reality of a family and a new life let him see that the life he had was not useless.

Lastly, something that happened at a funeral I was conducting and will never forget.

As the funeral progressed I reached the point the husband of the deceased wanted to say a few words. 

He said, “Life is the leading cause of death of my lovely wife. Margaret, LIVED her life, passionately.  She died doing what she loved to do.  If she didn’t do what she loved, she may not have died, but she wouldn’t have truly lived either.”

Life is always how you decided to see it. 

Amazing how crazy a fuzzy head can make you see a wall looking so different.

Have a great day.

Is there anything worse?

Go with Tao.

There is nothing worse than being in a place you love and surrounded by walks that you love and feeling ill. It seems even worse when you visit the doctor and have a conversation in another language but you realise he cannot find anything wrong with you yet I cannot walk without staggering all over the place and the world seems to be revolving at a rate of knots.

Having so many caring friends makes life so much better in such situations and I am humbled and thank you all for you good wishes and messages of kindness. A very special big thank you to the friend who took the time to explain what was going on with the knowledge they had, you know who you are.

I was told to be patient, those who know me know I have that in rather small doses.

So my mind has been full of pills doctors and illness but even in this, there is always something to smile about.

I remembered the time I had cut my finger and taken the tip right off. With it wrapped in a towel I was taken to the hospital to have it stitched. I was shown to a chair and to hold my hand up. The blood was dripping off my elbow onto the floor. An orderly asked me to move to another chair so that she could mop the floor.  Sometime later a nurse came over and asked me what I was waiting for?  In disbelief, I told her I was waiting for that other piece of floor drying.

Another hospital incident went like this.

"here," says the nurse, handing the older patient a urine specimen container. "The bathroom is over there." A few moments later the old man comes over to the nurse.

"Thanks," he says, returning the empty container. "But there was a toilet in there, so I did not need this after all."

A doctor tells the tale of the patient who came to attend a follow-up consultation. "I have good news and bad news," she said. "Th medicine for my earache worked."

"What is the bad news?" asked the doctor.

"It tasted awful.'

She was feeling better so he did not bother to tell her that they were called eardrops for a reason.

Keeping this short for obvious reasons let me return to my opening sentence. There are some things worse one being that I could be unable to complain because nobody listens to a corpse.

Have a marvellous day and thank one and all for your kindness.

Letters I have written ??

I wonder how often in life I have apologised? Probably more time than I would ever want to have to admit there was a need for an apology. There are of course been the occasions when the apology was needed and had to be given.

The letters might have gone something like this.

I have little doubt you probably remember me from the other day. I was the one who reacted very slowly to the green traffic light. When you blasted your horn, I realised I was holding up traffic, so please accept my apology.

However, I do want you to know why I seemed in a daze. You see, I had just at the doctor's office getting the results of the tests I had two weeks ago, and I was wondering how I would tell my wife and family that I have a serious illness. My eyes were still stinging from crying, so, quite simply I didn't even see the light change. Perhaps I should not have been driving, but I didn't want to miss my appointment and there was no one else to take me.

So please accept my apology for my very rude gesture and the remarks I mouthed in your direction.

And you over there, yes you.

I was the one in the express lane at the supermarket. I know you are only supposed to take 12 items or less and I had a trolley full. Please accept my apology. My mind was on my daughter who ran away from home, and she's just sixteen. I was so distraught then. You see, she somehow got in with the wrong crowd and started using drugs and drinking. I was remembering what a pretty little girl she had been most of her life. I know you were perturbed along with others in line.

Please, accept my apology.

I remember you from the department store last week. I was so mean to you when you were doing your job to the best of your ability. I acted so childishly. Please accept my apology. You see, I arrived home from work just yesterday and discovered that my wife had left me. But I should never have taken it out on you. Please, accept my apology.

Now before I get any messages concerned for me the above are fictitious incidents, and yet they express a very real truth.

The old saying about judging others before you have "walked a mile in their shoes," is a much-needed reminder.

Perhaps we all could try to be more cognizant of the fact that there are problems and situations in the lives of others of which we are totally unaware.

So, maybe before we get frustrated in similar circumstances, and find we are momentarily inconvenienced or suffering through a pointless tirade, we should think a moment and understand that things may be going on in other's lives which have caused them to be slower, absentminded or angry.

Patience, as they say, is a virtue.

Have a good day.

Not Winnie Again Part 2

I am aware that this is the fourth blog about my thoughts and lessons learned from Winnie the Pooh, this is the second part of yesterdays and I will then leave Winnie at peace for a while.

There is nothing in life more annoying than speaking to somebody when you are aware that they are just not listening. What does my friend Winnie have to say about such matters? "If the person you are talking to does not appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear. It is a fact that we never know what another person is going through, so if they are not paying attention or listening, or if they are acting as if they do not agree with you, be patient. Who knows, maybe like Pooh and Tigger that very person who seems to be treating you badly may, in the long run, turn out to be a good friend to you. Always give another person the opportunity.

As the great sage Lao Tzu says, "There is no hurry a river knows this, it will get where it is going some time or someday." We are so often in a great hurry, rushing this way and that in the end not getting through all that you hoped to achieve. Sometimes it is wise to stop and think before hurrying about. Is there really a need to rush?

Why do we spend so much time and energy and often money trying to meet the expectations of others in how we look and appear.  Pooh said, "I am short, fat, and proud to be just that." No one ever seemed to say anything mean or nasty about Pooh, even though he was stuffed with a little more fluff than all the other animals.

"Today I believe is a good day for being Pooh."  It does not really matter what happened yesterday and it does not really matter what might happen tomorrow. Today has opened up for you to celebrate and enjoy it. "Remeber there is no excuse too small for a parade in Hundred Acre Wood."

Just as I near the end I have remembered another little message that came from Winnie. "Love is taking a few steps backwards, maybe even more, to give way to the happiness of the one you love," I remember on many occasions changing the words of the wedding vows to make them more suitable for the persons I was conducting a wedding service for. I think Winnie could have written the vows for any couple. For that matter, Piglet might have too because it was he who said, "Love is not something you spell, love is something you feel.

My very last thought and lesson coming from Pooh for today comes in another quotation.

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?"  "Nothing,"  said Piglet taking hold of Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

Never take another person, especially those you love for granted because you never know when they might be gone and not be there any longer.

Have a great day.  And goodbye for now from my friend Pooh and all his pals.

Not Winnie Again.

"As the two friends wandered through the snow on their way home, Piglet grinned to himself, thinking how lucky he was to have a best friend like Pooh."

Yes, I am sorry, three days in a row and I am still with my good friend Winnie the Pooh. I am so glad so many like me enjoy him and yes he has been a source of inspiration to me for years, as I have said before.

So here we have Pooh and Piglet walking together and again reminding us of what it is to have a true friend. A true friend is there for us in even the most blustery of conditions, they walk beside you no matter what life is like or how low you are. 

It was Pooh who said, "If you live to be one hundred, I hope to live to be one hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

Now does that not say it all? Doe this not get to the very heart of what love and friendship are all about. It is an honest feeling, it comes straight from the mouth of a stuffed bear to his little friend Piglet. How would you feel if somebody thought of you this way or said this to you? I am sure you would be greatly moved.

On the same walk, Winnie was obviously feeling his heartstrings being tugged because he went on to say, "If there is ever a tomorrow that we are not together, there is one thing you should always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is this, even if we are apart, I will always be with you in my heart."

Yes, I am a romantic and yes as I write these words I do have a little lump in my throat as I think of all those friends I feel like this about and those who have said something similar to me. I am blessed with friends and they know who they are who tell me often to remember what and who I am and what I can do and to remember it is much more than I often think. Stop being so hard on yourself they say. Those are the encouragers we all need in life and rejoice that we have them in our lives.

Those are the friends who often cannot be there to hold your hand but you know beyond a shadow of a doubt there are always there in spirit and love cheering you one.

Let me finish for today, but not for this little mini-series, by returning to my friend Eeyore. Let us be up front and honest Eeyore is clinically depressed still manages to point us towards the silver lining in the most awful of situations.

Yes his house is constantly falling down and his tail frequently gets lost, but still, he has friends who in spite of all of this still invite him to all their gatherings and parties. They still always have a friendly, "hello."  Even more than this, when his tail goes missing they are always there ready to organise a search party because that is what friends do. Like all good and true friends, they do not antagonise him or make him feel that he is out of place and not wanted.

Maybe because of this Eeyore is one of those people who can see that the glass is not always half empty. In fact, it is always half full. This is what true friends to help those even at their very lowest.

So for now, but not as yet the end, let me finish with the kind of positive way that friends have made Eeyor see life.

"It is snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily. 

"So it is." 

"And freezing." 

"Is it?"

"Yes," said Eeyore.

"However," he said, brightening up a little, "we have not had an earthquake yet."


To all my friend's back in Scotland and those who in the USA who have just had a similar situation think like Eeyore.  

have a great day.

What I learned from Winnie.

Some of my friends know that one of my passions over many years has been Winnie the Pooh and friends, Not just the book but the many lessons I have been able to glean from them. At least one of my friends will remember many years ago my preaching a series of sermons based on them. I still remember fondly the last Sunday and the Winnie the  Pooh soft toys that appeared on the communion table. Those are the little things that make for memories and smiles.

So forgive me for returning to my little friends and the theme of friendship once more.

“As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen.”

There are some people in life we just know are going to add an extra sparkle to our days. They turn everyday moments into adventures. They help us see things that we might have so easily have missed.  I hope that I am such a person that a walk with me is just a bit more than a walk. That I can bring a little something more. Every day can be an adventure if you wish it so to be.

“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.”

I do enjoy my moments on my own and do not feel at all deprived if I have to go walking on my own but if a day comes to an end and I have not shared my day with at least one other I feel that is a day not fully lived. Life is so much more fun when it is shared, even if it is only a hello from a friend.

“A little thought, a little consideration for others, makes all the difference.”

I as often return to E.yeore. He so often has a very difficult time finding happiness. he also has a terrible time finding his tail. If it was not for the fact that he lived in  Hundred Acre Woods and was surrounded by all those friends he has life would most surely be miserable for him. It is wonderful what having a friend can bring to what can be a miserable day.

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have and one of the best things you can be.” 

Winnie the Pooh was never more aware of the existence of a pot of honey than when there was somebody else in the close vicinity of it. It was always a very difficult thing to consider sharing a pot with another. Winnie did learn though that having friends did add to his life and that the way to have friends often meant making little sacrifices.

 “We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet.

“Even longer,” Pooh answered.

Friends come and friends go circumstances often mean that try as we may we lose touch with friends unless we make a very special effort not to do so. In this day and age, it is so much easier now than it ever was in the past. Even more than this it is possible to connect with friends that one way or another had slipped through the net of friendship. It is also so much easier to connect and make new friends much easier. How grateful I am for both of those. My life has indeed been enhanced by the friends around me.

“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”

Even if your friends can’t be together physically, they can stay in your heart. This powerful lesson from Winnie the Pooh is a great one when friends move away. 

“Once in a while, someone amazing comes along…and here I am.”

Tigger has a lot to offer when it comes to confidence. He brings exuberance and a whole lot of bounce to his friendships. Some people are not the easiest to be friends with but so often those that were difficult at the start become really deep and lasting friendships.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

This saying from Pooh is one of my favourite sayings. When staying on caravan sites we meet many people and for a time we become friends. The time to part always comes, there are some that it is much more difficult to say farewell to than others. But This little saying of Poohs says it better than any I have coined myself.

I am so glad that I have many friends that I find it difficult to say goodbye to. 

Have a wonderful day.

Friends are what they are.

Artus.

Today I seem to have had one of those days that has never stopped. I have walked cycled and walked again. As hard as I have tried I have failed to meet the expectations of me from some, but that is life. The downside is that I have had one of those days that I have done much but not a great deal of thinking. So what do I do when I find myself stuck for something to say I turn to one of my greatest friends Winnie the Pooh.

Having said Winnie, one of my absolute favourite characters is Eeyore. But what I love even more than Eeyore is how his friends just continue to love him. Nobody ever tells him to “get over himself” or to “perk up.” 

They never accuse him of bringing down the party or being a spoilsport. Instead, they chalk up his characteristics and emotions as “that’s just Eeyore.” They never count any of the things that make Eeyore who he is as flaws, they accept them as part of who he is. And they love him no matter what. So it is with friends what others see as flaws they see as us being what we are and who we are.

Now my next favourite character is, poor Piglet, he has some major fears and insecurities. But does he let them stop him from helping his friends? Of course not. All of these characters go above and beyond to support each other. In fact, the only time any character bails on something scary is when Christopher Robin is there to help—and they never let each other jump into a situation alone. This is another thing I learn from my friends in Winnie the Pooh they are always there to help each other.

What else have I learned from my friends in Winnie the Pooh? Whether you had a day planned and your friend called you crying, or your friend Rabbit’s home was destroyed and they need a place to stay, sacrificing your own wants and needs to be there for your friends is an incredible show of compassion, love, and friendship. That is what friends do for each other they are there for them no matter what their plans might have been.

 Lastly, for today something else I learned from Winnie the Pooh. You know, not one character ever makes fun of Pooh for loving honey so much. Nobody ever teases Piglet about his fears or tells Rabbit that he’s insane for being such an anxiety-ridden little guy. They just love each other and even when they are unsure of a situation or idea, they still support and back each other up without a second thought.

Now that is friendship possibly at its highest level.

The Sacred art of stealing.

Freuchie in Flower.

I was told of a very sad incident yesterday. A friend was visiting friends. They had been out for something to eat where they all laughed and joked together. They then returned to where they had been staying. it was then that the person telling me the tale discovered that somebody had removed all the money from her wallet. When she mentioned it to her friends one of them suggested it had been stolen while they were eating. 

The strange thing about this suggestion to me, who has both as a magistrate and a prison chaplain come into contact with many people who steal from others, is that I have never heard of a thief who in a public place goes into a handbag removes the purse takes out the money and replaces the wallet in the handbag.

So sadly it looks as though one of her "friends" has been light-fingered.

Hearing this I am sure you like me will have some sort of emotional reaction to this. 

Here is a tale where others also had some emotions about a very similar situation.

When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, students from many parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings, a student was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit is expelled. 

Bankei ignored the case.

Later the student was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. 

This angered the other students, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise, they would leave in a body.

When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him. “You are wise brothers and sisters,” he told them. “You know what is right and what is not right. You may go somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. 

Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave.”

A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished, a lesson had been learned.

How quickly would most people turn their back on those who commit a crime like stealing, just as the students did? 

But look deeper and you might just see another human being. Someone that simply needs to be shown the path.

Do not write people off so easily. Expressing compassion isn't always easy, but we're all together in this life, so we cannot just help those that keep good behaviour. 

Those people who commit such crimes are often some of the people that need help with the most basic spiritual and human principles, such as right and wrong.

If you have a loved one who's committed a crime before you'll know exactly what I mean. 

You know they can be better and they shouldn't be thrown out just because they did something wrong at some point. Sure, we need to keep order, so they should be disciplined for their behaviour, but we also need to take the time to teach them right and wrong. We should strive to lift them up just as we strive to lift ourselves and those we love up despite their own flaws.

I do not know how my friend will react to her situation but I do hope the person who carried out the deed soon learns as did the student.

Have a great day.

Every place a home, every person a help.

Going Home

There is always something good about going on a journey but equally so there is something good about heading home. But home is not always what we might consider and call home. Having moved so many times during my life I have often considered the question of where is home?

I was chatting with a friend just a few days ago about the possibility of a trip to the beautiful island of Iona in Scotland.  I found myself getting emotional and enthusiastic at the same time. 

When I eventually decided that working as a butcher and involved in the killing of animals was not for me I went to Iona for a year in an attempt to learn enough to pass the entrance examinations for the university.

I lived and worked on this little island for a year. As I chatted I began to remember the many parts of this little island that I knew so well. So for a time this certainly was my home and in many ways, it still holds that place in my life that is held fondly.  There is much truth in the old saying, "Home is where the heart is."

The heart can, of course, hold many places dear because of the associations we have with them. We do not need to have tarried long in a place to consider it important in our lives. 

Journeys, places and people can have a dramatic effect on how we remember and hold dear those three.

Many years ago for some, a little house on a faraway hillside was a place to journey to a person held dear and a place full of meaning.

Word had spread afar about a wise man who lived in a small house on the side of a mountain. Not an easy place to reach but for many a journey worth making.

Like I made my journey to Iona all those years ago to get some order into my life, so to a young man decided to make a long arduous journey to visit the wise man to get his life back in order.

After many miles of travelling and many difficult paths to follow he arrived at the home of the wise man.

On arrival, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door.

"I would like to see the wise man," he told the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside.

As they walked through the house, the young man looked eagerly around the house anticipating his encounter with the wise sage. 

Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside.

He stopped and looked around and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the wise man!"

"You already have," said the old servant. "Everyone you meet in life in every place your travel, even if they appear plain and simple and often insignificant each of them could be for you the wise man you need to find.

If you see everybody you meet with dignity and understanding whatever the problem you have brought with you may well indeed be solved."

I have journeyed far and moved aplenty and my life is full of little homes and meaningful places and people and I am often making homeward journeys and finding friends who help to keep my life in order and on the correct path.

May today be such a day for you. I am sure it will for me I may meet more than one wise person today.

To catch a little fish.

This is probably one of the most photographed cottages I have ever seen. hardly anybody walks along this canal without stopping to take a photograph of it. For sale in the village are all sorts of things to purchase as keepsakes or as gifts. 

I have like most taken photographs always promising to try and paint. I never have until this one. I am not at all sure that it meets the perfections of the many on sale items on sale. It is my attempt. I got caught in the trap of many artists I tried to paint almost every leave on the trees and plants being aware of how well known the cottage was.

On the opposite side of the canal, there are always many people sitting with fishing rods trying like me to capture something important. 

Last night I walked past two fishermen who it seemed had been there all day with little success. Today they were still there when I passed early in the morning and still there as I passed after my second walk of the day. They had both put in a very long shift with what seemed very little to show for the effort.

There were two fishermen who were the very best of friends. Most weekends they would head off to go fishing together. On this particular Saturday, they had decided to drive to a favourite loch that they enjoyed fishing. They went prepared not only to catch fish but also to share a meal of fresh fish together in the evening. 

They arrived at the loch and got their gear out and ready. Picking their spot they began to fish. 

The first fisherman cast his line and was delighted to very quickly make a catch. he put it into an ice box to keep it fresh. Soon he had managed to catch a few more of varying sizes. he was looking forward to his meal that evening with his friend.

Feeling he had had some success at his fishing he put his rod aside and went to visit his friend.

His friend seemed to have made no catches at all. He offered to give his friend help. Just then the friend caught a beautiful large fish, the kind fishermen boast of, but he took it off the hook and threw it back in the loch.

Surprised by this he said to his friend, "What are you doing throwing back such a big beautiful fresh fish?" The friend responded, "It is far too large for the pan that I have brought to cook it in."

The friend then said he was trying to catch fish that would fit into his pan.

His friend in sheer exasperation said, " Why do you not cut the fish into sizes that can fit you pan."

How often in my life have I been just like that second fisherman. I have had before me opportunities and chances possibly even a wonderful chance to find grat happiness and I have given up the chance because it seemd to big for me to grasp, too big for my pan.

Many wonderfull opportunities have slipped through my fingers bacause I either did not have the courage  or I was too afraid to chase what it was I saw before me.

Such is life. But I can rejoice that unlike the fishermen I do not hold my arms wide open and say I caught one this size today.

Have a great day and keep your eyes open wide for opportunities.

A Hard Trauchle.

There are some things in life that come easily and everything goes exactly to plan and how we thought it would.

There are other times when it is all a very hard trauchle. Now for those who are not from the little beautiful country called Scotland, this means that life has not always gone as it was planned and something fairly simple turns into something much more difficult.

Yesterday I packed up to journey to my next destination, a place that I so enjoy visiting. A little miniature Venice in the heart of France. It has little canals with punts ferrying people around the place. 

Not far from where we are there are some beautiful walks where you can walk for miles and there will never be a car in sight.

So as I started off yesterday I thought there would be no problem whatsoever. However, as I got nearer and nearer to my destination and my confidence grew I hit a snag. Roadworks and the message, "Route Baree."  A detour, now they are usually nothing if you know the route you wish to travel but if you only know the one route you have a problem.

But I have arrived and the sun is shining and all is well.

Once upon a time in the rainiest part of the rainy season, an old monastic began her pilgrimage to the holiest shrine on the holiest mountain in the land. 

Forced back by fierce winds and driving rain, she stopped at the foot of the incline to check directions one last time. She was determined that she would make this pilgrimage.

“Old woman,” the inn master scoffed, “this mountain is deep in wet and running clay. You cannot possibly climb this mountain now.” 

“Oh, sir,” the old monastic said, “the climb to this shrine will be no problem whatsoever. You see, my heart has been there all my life. Now it is simply a matter of taking my body there, as well.”

There is some summit toward which every life is bent. There is something we all want to achieve. There is something we wish to accomplish. Life is full of little, and large aims and desires and targets.

All we really need is to find the inner will it will take to complete the journey. Then stop for a moment and sense the sheer joy of having accomplished.

Look inward to find the dream look outward to make it happen.

Hae a wonderful day.

The Storms of Life.

I felt terrible when it was pointed out to me the terrible coincidence that had occurred with my blog painting of the wave. It was, of course, nothing more than one of those things that seem to happen to me in life. 

I had in fact been working on the wave painting off and on for many days, as is the case with all of my art. I move from one to another to keep the eye alert and the mind fresh. The moment I feel one is ready I use it.

I should, of course, pay more attention to what is going on in the world, but moving around as I am at present and in a foreign land I often know very little of what is happening.

So once again my thoughts are with all my friends and others in the USA who are facing difficult times at present.

A story was told me several years ago when I was going through a trial in my own personal life. 

The story was about a very young tree.

The young tree faced many storms through its young life. The powerful winds, torrential rains, famine, ice, and snow would lie across its branches weighing them down to almost breaking point.

At times the young tree questioned its the mother tree not far off asking, ”Why have you let so many storms come into my life?”

His mother tree whispered, “You will understand one day, stand firm, you will make it through the storms of life.” 

“The challenges will pass, keep this in mind.”

The tree questioned the mother tree, “If I go through one more winter the snow will surely break my branches. If I face any more powerful wind I will surely be uprooted and moved away. If I face another summer of drought I will surely die."

His mother tree whispered, “Stand strong, dig your roots deep into the soil, you will understand someday.”

Somehow the young tree kept the positive thoughts in its mind and managed to survive and make it through even the toughest of storms.

Somehow, even in the toughest of times, when the things it went through should have broken it down, it found a way to stand firm even through the worst of storms.

As the young tree grew taller, stronger, and matured the tree realised the storms of life had made it stronger. Had it not had to face these things it would have been the weaker for it.

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It is about learning how to dance in the rain. There is no such thing as the worry-free life or a life that never has to face sadness or difficulties.

These things are not sent to try us as I have often heard said they are what they are part and parcel of what life is.

I hope all in the USA remain safe through this storm. 

Have the best day you can in whatever circumstances throw your way.