The voice, the pen

I have often noticed how, what one feels, another thinks. Why, then, should we not share those thoughts and feelings? It might make things clearer for all... Here, I am offering snippets on whatever gets me thinking, with the intention of sharing these moments with you, hoping for a dialogue of sorts. Whether a word, a sentence, a whole text, please, share.

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Christmas season is here

It is snowing, and Christmas is on the radio and the markets. I often wonder at my own response to the idea of a White Christmas, at how it ties me to my past, my cultural origins, family members I never met - never even knew/will know they existed - who either believed or didn't yet felt emotional at the flurries, the carols, the sight and smell of the trees draped in sparkles, in baubles, in hopes, in childish wishes met whenever possible.

I know rather well the whole history behind the stories: the mythology, the astrology, the astronomy, the anthropology... All that study throughout the fields of humanity that strives to explain the reality. My brain knows it, my logic understands it, my own personal choice of belief acts in accordance... All that to ultimately reach out in joy at the first flakes, to react with a giggling heart-rate to the first beats of a seasonal song.

I am no more "grown up and jaded" than a toddler! Squee! And, d'you wanna know something? I don't care!!

More than that, I relish my experience year in, year out. I just want to make sure whenever I meet another, I am able to share the overwhelmingly humanly illogical quality of the moment. I want to be able to burrow deep down into the root of such generous feeling, such tear-jerking emotion, such absolute unbound love for life. Once there, impregnated with its core, I want to emerge re-born, grow larger than life, and explode! I want to mingle with the snowflakes of Joy, permeating all people (friend or foe, who cares) to multiply the richness of feeling, perpetuating it.

I don't worry anymore whether people believe or not, as I don't worry whether I believe or not. I believe in the pan-human good will any such season brings. So, I grew up to react to Christmas. I shall work with it, I shall perpetuate the feeling over the year, I shall unleash its beauty beyond religion - then we will all cry tenderly at the idea of birth and hope and love. And we shall love and hope and create.

It's Christmas season, and it's snowing. Go out to make angels in the white mantle, while I wait for you with a hot cup of chocolate.

Love thy neighbour, and blessed be all people of good will.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Bus Drivers

I have quite a few elements from daily life which regularly remind me of what I honestly believe in but sometimes seem to doubt. One of those "elements" is bus drivers.

Let's face it, we have all been in a situation where we have ranted and raved about bus drivers, bus services, and what nots. Most often, said drivers appear sour-faced, unfriendly, short tempered, impatient... Who wouldn't, in their shoes? Stock brokers who complain of stress at work should have a a reality check with these guys/gals: driving all day in circles with few and far-between toilet breaks at set times (rather than answering to immediate need). Not only that, they have to do so while struggling to keep up with a fantasy-inspired schedule that inevitably brings frustration and complaints from both passengers and supervisors. To top it all up, they have to spend all that time trapped in traffic jams surrounded by aggressive SUVs, unexpected motorbikes and vulnerable cyclists.

Still, I have yet to meet a driver who does not respond in kind - except for the surprised, even grateful, look - every time I get on and greet him/her with a genuinely cheerful, open-smiled, 'Good morning/afternoon/evening!' In fact, if you make a minimal effort so that it becomes a habit, you will begin to realise that your bus rides become a great deal more pleasant.You will also notice the interaction between drivers who see each-other across the road is truly playful. Or how, on the other hand, one venting, rude and/or selfish person (a passenger, a suicidal pedestrian...) can ruin everyone's day in a snap.

So, THANK YOU, BUS DRIVERS! These men and women are fabulous examples of how our treatment of people we "randomly" meed creates the world we live in. It is only a matter of being the one to take the first step, to 'be the change you want to see'.

Give a smile, have a great ride.

Friday 12 November 2010

Skin deep

We often dismiss things as being only "skin deep" - insignificant, superficial, not really felt, non-threatening.

Ha! Our skin is the largest organ in our wondrous bodies; it is superficial but multi-layered, multi-characteristic and colourful according to area and sensory requirements; has more nerve-endings than any other organ; and it is our true "first line of defense" which, if infected or over-exposed, might break down until it, unsuspectingly and unwittingly, kills us.

My feelings are skin deep, and from that moment on, they seep in, they burst out.

My skin remembers, writing itself with lines, colours, textures. It talks, tells, warns, encourages. A palm-reader can describe my destiny as though looking at a hieroglyph, and a doctor can tell how much sun I took as a child. An angry red splotch, an enticing blush, a shiver. My skin speaks loud and honest, like the tail of a dog. I trust my skin when I doubt my mind. It does not know how to lie.

And yet, it hides too much. I cannot see the inside, where it is all dark. An accomplice, it keeps prying eyes looking out, unable to catch up on the mischief that the other cells, the other organs are preparing. An accessory to murder. The secrets are deep, deep and heartfelt.

Or only just, barely, skin deep.