Monthly Archives: June 2006
Remembering Moments
Over in Japan Iain in a posting titled Foot prints in the Snow, remembers an event in early childhood. He says, an intuitive sense of ‘the transient’ really touched me.
I must have been, Oh about 16, out walking high on the South Downs in Sussex. Photography was just starting to be a hobby, black and white film in those days. On the chalky white path I came upon a pair of discarded cheap black patent leather women’s shoes. They so struck me that I took a number of pictures, one with the shoes arranged as if ‘walking’ up the path. This was one of the first times I attempted to capture something I felt on film, and never felt satisfied I’d caught it. I still can’t say what it was however I’ll always remember coming upon those shoes. Perhaps that too was about transience, after all ‘Where was the person’?
House Keeping Note: You may notice a change in the way I am linking to other blogs and web sites. This comes through reading about the original ‘weblogs’ which were link rich. Their aim being to encourage people to follow links through the means of informative ‘link text’, that’s the underlined and highlighted text. Early web sites worked hard to keep people on their site, weblogs worked hard to get people to leave!
It is great that people, on average about 50 a day, visit here and I hope you will leave your mark through the comments and then leave again, and again and again.
Senescence and Solitude
“The organic process of growing older
and showing the effects of increasing age”.
Maybe because I will be on my way to a week-end retreat in BC in three weeks, or maybe because I’m just ready to spend some down time, what ever the reason this site devoted to Hermitary struck a cord this evening. And while there, following a link I found an article, Wabi and Sabi: The Aesthetics of Solitude that took me right back to memories of my original spiritual longings, which drew me towards the contemplative life.
Back then I had a romantic notion of what ‘the contemplative life’ would be like. Yes, perhaps living alone in an isolated place away from hustle and bustle. However, in our tradition at least, we are encouraged to be content to sit in our ‘cave’ whereever we are, alone or in a crowd. And sometimes we do retreat to a remote hermitage.
Wetaskiwin, a Giant Magnet
On a similarly intense day, although for very different reasons, I taught myself to juggle. I remember that day as being fun in the midst of all that was happening that was not fun at all. To-day I packed the Sacristy into boxes ready for the move. It was a rare pleasure to take time and care packing the items as when arranging them on an altar. I hope we can take as much care with packing the toilet brush, the kitchen utensils and the paper clips.
And when cars get old, lost or stolen chances are they will end up in Wetaskiwin, about an hours drive south of Edmonton. I was there on Sunday and spent an enjoyable few hours with a congregation member and his young family.
As we snapped away I pondered aloud on dignity and decrepitude and wondering if there was a word between the two. And now it’s obvious; not a word in-between just join ’em together to make, dignified decrepitude. That’s what I see in these machines. And that’s what I observed while sitting on the priory step on Sunday. The elderly woman across the road inched her way hand-over-hand on the rail, ever-sooo-sloooowly, down the steps to water a bush. Being in a state of deterioration due to old age, or long use, can be dignified. She is.
The ’92 Dodge Spirit that got stolen hasn’t quite achieved decrepitude, however given the chance it may live long enough to find a resting place in Wetaskiwin. “Come back! I’m calling to you sweetie”.
Airport Training
Walter of Evolving Space is in the air to Singapore, he is re-locating there to work.
Here’s part of a comment I left on his last posting before leaving England: “It does seem to be a time when the mountains are moving, yet remaining rooted at the same time. I don’t think one has to appear calm or peaceful to be rooted. Roots go deep. Trust the roots will hold you to the Eternal heart! That could be a poem couldn’t it!”
Please write lots about Singapore, and post lots of your fantastic photos too.