diddlee

Often the same thoughts come back to you. I know I've had this series of thoughts before. Probably when I watched The Little Buddha . But today I realized it in context with the desire that comes with wanting to travel and seek new experience and knowledge. It is like making the mandala. Great effort goes into the intricate design. And when it is finished, it is obliterated with a sweep of the hand. Much like your life. So what if I go see the art in Rome. What is gained if I travel to the ends of the earth and visit all the wonders. In the end, I am erased just the same. I think if I am observant, the things I can see right here will be just as significant and just as wonderful. I just have to pay closer attention. The wonder of the world begins close at hand. It lurks under damp stones or hides in a small cluster of trees. We forget to see what we are looking at. Even before one's end, much of the experience is lost. Memory, even when aided by photos, takes only small samples...

This week saw the death of Sir Edmund Hillary. If ever we had an inspiration for personal drive this was it. It isn't so much this particular man. It is recognizing this common quality in all men who possess it. The ability to endure suffering and continue. There wasn't much purpose to climbing a mountain like Everest but this kind of will is an enviable quality. Our own personal Everests wait to be climbed.

So here it is, another New Year. We enjoyed the return visit to TSO's concert. I think they might have been a little weary because they didn't do as long a set as last year. Still, it was a rather grand performance.