Saturday, May 21, 2005
May 21 Year 3, Day 62 exquisite joy, exquisite sorrow musing
+11C, breezy sunny day in south Calgary
. . .
we walked in the park & returned on a path through a neighbourhood abuzz with planting & yard readiness that must leave plant merchants salivating; kids & dogs in abundance for Gusta to greet, explore & wag for
. . .
some Saturday mornings I write later than usual simply because I sleep in; this morning I was up early – but my writing mode has been slowed & deeply affected by 3 messages
. . .
morning mulling revolves around 3-emails; two of them shown below from Lh & TA plus a 3rd one from a hurting dear friend who exhibits the personification of exquisite sorrow
. . .
for the young & perhaps a fortunate few who reach middle age experiencing joyousness without ever experiencing grief – for you lucky few – you have seen the door swinging only one way
. . .
when it swings back – after the thud – one can start to appreciate that grieving too can be part of the exquisite joy of life
. . .
if we have not grieved, can we appreciate as much pure joy in a fresh apple, a fresh smile, a fresh tailwag or exhilaration climbing a mountain of challenges, a mountain of dreams or an actual mountain ?
. . .
if we have not experienced such exquisite joy . . how can we expect to find exquisite sorrow ?
. . .
coping with the shock of loss - at first stunned disbelief followed by tumult, followed by more & more waves of emotion happens when we have experienced exquisite joy with someone; as I read headlines this morning of tragic deaths from many causes it is just ink on paper – when the people involved are not real to me, not known to me . . . like most people, I turn the page looking for good news, for surely there is good news every day
. . .
at the end of the 1st year of these musings [we were 220 or so then] I remarked this musing group was a village of 220 people; as the hub I felt then like a mix of postmaster, mayor & town crier
. . .
now in excess of 3500 people read this every day . . . our village has grown . . . most of you I’ve never met or exchanged a hello with in any way; lately this town crier feels more like news editor, cheerleader, counselor & dog columnist in a growing town where few of us know our neighbours
. . .
TA is, I think, exemplifying the joi de vivre we all need some of every day; the issues, events & challenges that come our way are often too enormous to bear – whether it is the sudden tragic loss of a child . . . or the unstoppable disease of someone close – thoughts about all the opportunities missed are set aside in favour of appreciating the exquisitness of the experiences we have shared
. . .
just as so many of you who write & also to those like Lh [who I know not at all beyond what she wrote this morning] who reach out to us when we least expect it . . . touch us . . . remind us of what great strength we have amid our human frailties
. . .
we are all connected – we are all one people, we are all in this thing called life’s joys & struggles together
. . .
life is not fair, ever
. . .
do we want an easy ride; if we could guarantee it, would we really like to live that way ? yes for a while, but not for long
. . .
dog report: Gusta has whined, whimpered & made puppy sounds – today she is 11 weeks old; last night she did her first genuine bark; scared herself & raced to hide out in her kennel
. . .
some of you may remember MdP from our first year of musings; Margarita has not written in a VERY long time which is sadly missed by me - today a very happy birthday wish to her !
. . .
Mark
343,288
. . .
we walked in the park & returned on a path through a neighbourhood abuzz with planting & yard readiness that must leave plant merchants salivating; kids & dogs in abundance for Gusta to greet, explore & wag for
. . .
some Saturday mornings I write later than usual simply because I sleep in; this morning I was up early – but my writing mode has been slowed & deeply affected by 3 messages
. . .
morning mulling revolves around 3-emails; two of them shown below from Lh & TA plus a 3rd one from a hurting dear friend who exhibits the personification of exquisite sorrow
. . .
for the young & perhaps a fortunate few who reach middle age experiencing joyousness without ever experiencing grief – for you lucky few – you have seen the door swinging only one way
. . .
when it swings back – after the thud – one can start to appreciate that grieving too can be part of the exquisite joy of life
. . .
if we have not grieved, can we appreciate as much pure joy in a fresh apple, a fresh smile, a fresh tailwag or exhilaration climbing a mountain of challenges, a mountain of dreams or an actual mountain ?
. . .
if we have not experienced such exquisite joy . . how can we expect to find exquisite sorrow ?
. . .
coping with the shock of loss - at first stunned disbelief followed by tumult, followed by more & more waves of emotion happens when we have experienced exquisite joy with someone; as I read headlines this morning of tragic deaths from many causes it is just ink on paper – when the people involved are not real to me, not known to me . . . like most people, I turn the page looking for good news, for surely there is good news every day
. . .
at the end of the 1st year of these musings [we were 220 or so then] I remarked this musing group was a village of 220 people; as the hub I felt then like a mix of postmaster, mayor & town crier
. . .
now in excess of 3500 people read this every day . . . our village has grown . . . most of you I’ve never met or exchanged a hello with in any way; lately this town crier feels more like news editor, cheerleader, counselor & dog columnist in a growing town where few of us know our neighbours
. . .
TA is, I think, exemplifying the joi de vivre we all need some of every day; the issues, events & challenges that come our way are often too enormous to bear – whether it is the sudden tragic loss of a child . . . or the unstoppable disease of someone close – thoughts about all the opportunities missed are set aside in favour of appreciating the exquisitness of the experiences we have shared
. . .
just as so many of you who write & also to those like Lh [who I know not at all beyond what she wrote this morning] who reach out to us when we least expect it . . . touch us . . . remind us of what great strength we have amid our human frailties
. . .
we are all connected – we are all one people, we are all in this thing called life’s joys & struggles together
. . .
life is not fair, ever
. . .
do we want an easy ride; if we could guarantee it, would we really like to live that way ? yes for a while, but not for long
. . .
dog report: Gusta has whined, whimpered & made puppy sounds – today she is 11 weeks old; last night she did her first genuine bark; scared herself & raced to hide out in her kennel
. . .
some of you may remember MdP from our first year of musings; Margarita has not written in a VERY long time which is sadly missed by me - today a very happy birthday wish to her !
. . .
Mark
343,288
