Back from the deep end

I read a novel recently called The Deep End of the Ocean. The title was used from a conversation in the book in which a little 3-year-old was swimming in a pool. His mother invited him to swim with her to the deep end, and the boy said no, that he didn't want to go to the deep end. It would be like going to the deep end of the ocean. The rest of the book is about how the little boy survived being kidnapped and finally ended up back with his family. The symbol was that the boy was destined to go to the deep end of the ocean whether he wanted to or not.

The book was excellent. The emotions described on the family's part when they thought that their son was dead were very accurate. The way that that perception of a lost child worked itself out in the family who lost the child showed exactly the kinds of issues that arise between the family members after a loss. It was an excellent book.

At the end of the book, the relationships in the family had almost completely unraveled. At that point the author put a twist in the ending. Generally, the place for a twist in the plot is not at the end of the book, but this one was appropriate, especially since it realistically represented what life brings to people. The author left the reader to wonder what the outcome of the twist would be. I generally don't like that tactic either. In this case, it would have been better had the author been forthcoming with the outcome of the twist because the twist had too many ramifications to it for the reader to choose from.

I thank the person who gave me this book. I have also been to this place where the child did not want to go and have come back like this child did. In both cases there were certain alterations that took place. I would differ from the book in that from the dark cloud hanging over my experience, the most shimmering of all silver linings emerged - clear and beautiful. It has been 6 years since I was in the deep end, but as the pieces of life have rematerialized in my life, the last 9 months have come together in such a way that it is more beautiful now than it ever was before, has more vitality now than I can remember!

Sharing time & space

There's nothing more important than being there. That's the opening line from the Amica Insurance Company commerical seen on TV. I know the truth of this statement. My daughter had a wreck recently and I was not there. I was out of town. Of course, she understood, but she had called me to come to the scene of the accident. How disappointing for both of us when in a moment of need, I was not available.

But, that incident brings up another idea. That even though someone can be out of town, being there is not always a physical matter. Sometimes it is a mental matter. Someone can be allowed to have a place inside the mind or the heart. In that way being there is perennial. There's no end to it like there is to being gone physically from somewhere or someone.

I know that concept is as old as the hills. It appears in literature through the ages. When people came from distant lands to inhabit some new land, they brought their values with them because those values lived in the new inhabitants' minds all through their long journey. And when people had to be away from the ones they loved for extended periods of time, the loved ones would live in the heart and soul of each other.

It may be an old concept, but it still makes me warm when my mind recalls a face or feels a presence from within when I am out of town. Of course, it's easy today to also send and receive digital pictures. So, if I ever receive one of those digital pictures when I am not with someone in addition to the warmth from from the mind's eye and the inner sensation, I go from warm to breaking into a sweat in no time flat because it is still true that there's nothing more important than being there.

The purest gold of all

What would happen if someone ran across an article of pure gold? (S)He would celebrate beyond belief. Articles of pure gold are hard to come by. So many articles are made of pewter or silver, sometimes an alloy, or gold mixed with some other metal. So ruuning across an article of pure gold is momumental. Its authenticity would be unmistakable, its value could not be counted in dollars.



And if one were to run across another person of the highest quality(of pure gold), the same would be true, and he would be the luckiest person on the face of the earth!!!

In the eye of a needle

I wrote a note about intrigue today. The intrigue had come from a book that I had read several years ago. I learned something from that book that has inspired since that time. I learned that in order to survive in a world full of information and disinformation, that stealth is a good mode of operation at times. I learned that there is a time to strike and a time to disappear. It has helped me in my current job. I told my supervisor just last Thursday that we worked in a palace of smoke and mirrors. We spoke of honesty, but that is a commodity that doesn't have much of a place in a smoked filled house of reflections. It's good, then, that I had read The Eye of the Needle. It's about how to debunk intrigue (which happens in a house of smoke and mirrors). That is why it is my second favorite book of all time.

But, I hate leaving a close friend of mine in that environment. Oh, she is plenty stealthy, and she will survive and resist the manipulation people try to use on her, and she'll have a little sordid fun in the meantime. But, I hate it that she has to deal with the people who create such a maze of smoke and mirror operations. She has to live in the eye of the needle, but she is a master at threading it. Love that about her!!!

Vibrance inside

Tonight I was sitting on the back deck that overlooks the valley below our bluff and across to the houses nestled in the twilight on the opposite ridge above the valley. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, so lights on the houses of the distant ridge were shining and flickering in the distance. I sat musing what was going on in the houses on the distant ridge. Of course, there's no way to know. I'm at a distance.

I guess I was thinking this because of my tendency to keep people at a distance from me. Part of that trait is the result of growing up in the Dallas area where a person has to be somewhat impersonal just to survivie there. There are a number of other influences too. But I had to notice while sitting on the back deck that the light from my kitchen window was spilling out onto the deck. The kitchen light flickered at a distance to those on the ridge I was seeing. But, to me it was pouring out over my shoulder. I knew what was in the house behind me. I could turn and see into it if I wanted to or walk into it. I didn't have to guess what was in it.

A few people see me for who I am. I am not a distant light across the valley. When that happens the light inside of me burns more brilliantly, more vibrantly. I am more productive, more at ease with my soul. I don't always know about what lies in the twilight on the ridges of distant hills, but I am certain that any light shining from my windows, shines more brightly because someone sees into me, accepting me for who I am, inspiring me to greater heights because of who they are. I could only hope the same fortunate circumstance for the people in the houses across the way.

Pleasantries

I am reading an article from my Americas magazine about the country of Guatemala. The title of the article calls Guatemala, encantadora. The picture behind the title shows a beautiful landscape of mountain peaks covered in clouds with just the peaks poking through the clouds. It's truly an enchanting picture.

Trips to the lake place my family owns are usually filled with happiness and tranquility, things that make for a pleasant weekend. This trip was even heightened from that. I was driving down with anticipation of the trip being pleasant, but with a singular vision this time, one that stayed with me for the trip and into the night after I arrived. The trip has been so pleasant as a result. Truly, truly encantadora!!!