The Map Maker's Mother

A cartographer’s mother made cards to send her daughter.
The mother saved stamps from different countries.
The daughter knew her mother would steam the stamps, releasing them from the letters.
She would mount the stamps on colorful paper.

The daughter studied maps of places that no longer existed.
As she paused, the cartographer would think about her mother's life.
She hoped her mother was happy with the life she lived.
It made the map maker think about her life too.

Being there is not a place.

Watson and the Shark

The boy's favorite painting was called "Watson and the Shark".
He would stand for hours and gaze deeply into the painting.
What intrigued the boy so much ?
Maybe it was how menacing the shark looked or the grave peril the boy felt for Watson ?
One day while studying the painting, a group of people crowded around him.
They were listening to a woman in a blue jacket.
She said the man holding the rope and the man in the water were doppelgangers.
The boy wasn't sure what this meant, but he could almost feel the savagery of shark's bite.
Given a choice, he'd rather be the man in the boat.
When he grew up, he would bring his children to see the painting.
They would all stand around the painting and talk about who they would be:
Watson, the Shark or the man with the rope.

Identity is in the eye of the beholder.

"Watson and the Shark" John Singleton Copley 1778

The Avatar and Zebras

When an economic crisis came to the ecosystem,
all the animals of the savanna were affected.
Maybe hardest hit were the zebras.
During tough times, nobody really liked black and white stripes.
Historically, belt tightening was a conservative preoccupation.
As hard as the zebras tried to become either all black or all white;
it never seemed to work.
They asked for assistance from a higher power.
Vishnu summoned Parasurama; Rama-of-the-axe to go the savanna
and quiet the crisis.
Although Parasurama was a warrior god; he was revered for his ability as a strategist.
The problem as Parasurama saw it, was one of perception.
Because everyone was concerned about the economy,
the zebras stood out as petulant and uncommitted.
Parasurama decided to make it rain and turn the arid savanna
into a mud bath.
All the animals became cloaked in a dark, muddy suit.
Everyone looked the same.
Now the animals focused on solving the problems; rather
than only assigning blame.
Eventually, peace and prosperity returned to the savanna.

Parasurama took his axe and ascended to the higher spiritual realm.

Perfection is unattainable, but acceptance is another story.


Photo credit : Peter Bland

Avoidance Theory and the Greyhound

This Italian greyhound was rescued from a life of racing and poor treatment.
With the largest heart and percentage of fast twitch muscle of any breed, this greyhound was exceptionally gifted.
He was a solitary dog; preferring only the company of his beautiful mistresses.
They called him Manny.
When time came for a walk and the taking care of business;
Manny was expedient, staying well clear of other butt sniffing dogs.
His belief was a good day meant no contact with anybody,
especially other dogs and people who felt they should pet all dogs.

One day, Manny was curled up and nice and cozy dreaming about running with a pack of other greyhounds.
It was like everything was shiny, in slow motion and he was happy.
Suddenly he awoke, stretching his long body and yawning.
The dream intrigued him because he wondered if he had it all wrong.
Manny was most introspective, even for a greyhound.
He decided to change; he would smile, sniff butts and nuzzle people.
Precisely at that moment, he realized the glory of life was living.
At last, Manny felt the pure joy of simply being Manny.

Three Wishes

Three black crows were perched in a dogwood tree.
The first crow asked "If you could have a wish come true - what would it be ?"
The second crow said, "I'd wish for a winning lottery ticket."
The first crow said, "I'd be the winner of a reality show."
They asked the third crow, "What to you wish for ?"
The third crow, who was slightly depressed said, "I'd be happy to sing show tunes all day long."

Only you can truly know, what makes you happy.

The Line and the Sea

It was a December day in Boston.
A man and woman walked towards each other.
Neither one could see the other because there was a hill between.
They were both dressed in black.
Even as they got closer, they were still unsure.

They met at the top of the hill.
After 30 years the man and woman were together again.
They had been lovers in art school when they were young.
In those days they made prints and paintings together.
One night she had too much to drink, crawled underneath a car and would not come out.

They had no idea how to put back the many years that separated them.
At first they were overjoyed to be back with each other, then overwhelmed by the history they no longer shared.
On this cold wintry day; but they decided to go for a walk on the beach.
They found a stick and drew a long, long line in the sand.
Then the man and the woman marked off each one of the 30 years.
For each mark and each year, they told the other a story of what had happened.

The next day they returned to the beach and the long line in the sand.
Over night the tide had washed the line away; and returned it to the sea.

There are no lines in the sea.

Untitled [Big Sea #1] Vija Celmins

The Mathematician and the Squirrels

A mathematician lived alone in a little white house, near a tall oak tree.
On Tuesdays he ate tuna casserole.
Each day he spent 6.5 hours working on equations and theories.
On Sunday he went for a long walk and would try to identify every tree he would pass by.
When he went to work at the college, he only walked on streets that began with the letter "B".
One day he saw two gray squirrels chasing each other.
As they raced onto the street, they were both crushed by a large black moving van.
The driver did not seem notice he had taken the lives of these two squirrels.
Ironically, the gilded letters of the truck said, "Death Wish Piano Movers".
The mathematician was stunned.
He thought there must be a connection, but he couldn't be certain.

Sometimes simplicity breeds ambiguity.