May 9, 2010

• Let's go exploring

  There's always something in the world you don't know about, like lightning swirling around a giant plume of volcanic ash.  It's always good to encounter something that suprises us, because that means the world is a lot bigger than we had thought.  And who wants to live in a small world?

  The ocean is such a liar, because if you look at him all he says is 'I'm huge and blue and that's it'.  But that's a lie because there are entire worlds underneath that deceptively placid blue surface.  Think of all the fish drama that must go on, the cafeteria stories at fish schools, broken fish relationships, fish love triangles, fish wars, fish businessmen all gathered around wondering where to invest their pearls.  So much happens under the sea that we don't know about; we think by seeing the top of it we know everything about the ocean, like guessing what a pie tastes like without even know what it's filled with. 

  But I sit on the beach and see a dolphin jump out of the water; the ocean's poker face isn't quite perfect. And that's how I know he's a liar.

  My stuffed animals don't always sleep with me, since sometimes they know I've had a rough night, so they'll sleep nearby.  But then I wake up and I see them, and we stare at each other.  Then I grin, and we all burst out laughing.  After that we'll head downstairs and have breakfast, where we'll try to spill each others' cereal.  It's a bit rainy, but a walk down to the pond to share our extra toast with the ducks seems like the best idea ever, just as it did the day before.  So we'll go down to the pond, and then they'll see the duck families and wish they had a family, but I pull them close and say, "Nah—we got each other."

  My friend Saul says he likes mountains, because mountains hide things. And that means he can go exploring and discover things in them. 

  And maybe people are like that too.  They are like mountains, or oceans, and some day we'll be talking to them and suddenly see a huge explosion of smoke come out of them with lightning wrapping around it like a double helix.  Here is something we didn't expect; for how long did they hide their relationships with their stuffed animals from us?  Their face lied to us by making us think we already knew everything about them, but then the dormant volcano awoke, and we discovered something new about them that we had never expected.

  And surely we should try to include as many erupting volcanos with lightning clothing as we can in our lives, and have fun with them, for what else is there to do?  Who wants to live in a small world?

  • 6:10 am
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