OLD FRIENDS . . .

Every so often I go off the rails and start ordering books--Evergreen (library statewide inter-library loan service), Internet sites, even author's sites that show their wares for sale.

In one of my recent binges, I began collecting a couple of authors I haven't read for 30 or more years. They're used books, of course, and some must be rarer than others by the same author because prices range from affordable to "never mind."

Now you may wonder why I'm back into collecting books, having (I think) mentioned that I've given away a number of books in the past decade or so, when the decluttering bug had bit me, or I had run out of shelf space in the house and books were being stored in the garage (along with dust and insects). Our local library welcomed my surplus, both for its monthly sale and in some cases to fill in a hole in the library's offerings. Anything that wasn't acceptable because of age or condition was further donated by the library to charities that use books to teach reading in other countries.

Wonder no more; the answer is simple: I miss my old friends. Those authors who have been absent from my life for few-or-many decades always had something to share with me. 

I've also learned some of my children like those same authors. Books about country living, country cookery, raising dogs . . . . And the authors were folks who read--poetry, newly published novels, philosophy; and who listened to recordings of composers I've long admired. Didn't they have television, you ask? Yes, Virginia, TV had been invented many, many decades ago; and as with anything new, it didn't continue to fulfill everyone's needs for entertainment. Some folks went out to concerts. Some stayed home and played records and tapes and CDs.

It all boils down to hanging out with old friends.

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Why do we do it, anyway? Why do we enjoy meeting up with old friends, sharing a meal--drinking a fancy coffee together--shopping together--taking a walk, with or without a dog--sharing a hobby like knitting, woodworking, gardening, painting. 

Experts tell us that we need friends to help us cope with life. I like that. So, what about a chance meeting? For me, it's pure enjoyment. An unexpected gift of time with someone who knew me once upon a time. 

While we're talking about non-people friends, here are some thoughts:

• I never feel lonely if I've got a book - they're like old friends. Even if you're not reading them over and over again, you know they are there. And they're part of your history. They sort of tell a story about your journey through life. -- Emilia Fox

• Old books that have ceased to be of service should no more be abandoned than should old friends who have ceased to give pleasure. -- Bernard Baruch

Do you have movies you like to watch every so often--the same ones? Or old TV shows? 

I've worn out some of my favorite LPs (back when I had a stereo setup); fortunately those same albums came out on CDs, but I'll be the first to admit the playback isn't the same. But still--I haven't lost those old favorites. (And I'm not yet ready to stream everything or have it play through my browser.)

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Ultimately, an old friend actually is a person--the author of the book; the composer of the music; the orchestra members or soloists (vocal or instrumental) who played for the recording; the person who wrote the screenplay, the director and the producers and certainly the actors, all of whom were required to make the story come alive visually.

Old friends. They're everywhere in our lives. Celebrate them. Give thanks for them. They're often just the blessing we need to keep on keeping on.

Blessings,

Thursday's Child

 MARY OLIVER X 2

She read to her dogs.

If you haven't met Mary Oliver before, let me introduce her.

She was born in Maple Hills Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1935. She died 83 years later in Florida. She loved nature and dogs, and wrote dozens of poems about both subjects.

If you want  more information about her life and growth as a poet, look at the Poetry Foundation's website for a detailed critique.

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Today I'm sharing two of her poems.

WHY I WAKE EARLY

 Hello, sun in my face.

Hello, you who make the morning

and spread it over the fields

and into the faces of the tulips

and the nodding morning glories,

and into the windows of, even, the

miserable and the crotchety--

 

best preacher that ever was,

dear star, that just happens

to be where you are in the universe

to keep us from ever-darkness,

to ease us with warm touching,

to hold us in the great hands of light—

good morning, good morning, good morning.

 

Watch, now, how I start the day

in happiness, in kindness.

      [from the collection WHY I WAKE EARLY, 2004]

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THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER

As long as you're dancing, you can

     break the rules.

Sometimes breaking the rules is just

     extending the rules.

Sometimes there are no rules.

     [from the collection A THOUSAND MORNINGS, 2012]

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Blessings,

Thursday's Child

 PROVERBIAL WISDOM

Nearly everyone grew up with proverbs. They might have been old sayings, or folk wisdom, or a family proverb, but they fit into Aldous Huxley's definition:  Proverbs are always platitudes until you have personally experienced the truth of them.

 I grew up with a whole boatload of cultural proverbs, such as:

--Haste makes waste.

--A stitch in time saves nine.

--Ignorance is bliss.

--Don't cry over spilt milk.

--You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

--You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

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Some of these were meant to make me feel better about something I'd experienced in my young life, like crying over spilt milk. (I don't remember spilling any, but probably did.)

I liked the concept of a stitch in time saving nine. Prevention was better than extra work.

Others didn't make sense--and still don't, such as ignorance is bliss. Nope. Don't get it.

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For your enjoyment, I've collected a handful of proverbs from other cultures:

It’s in the shelter of each other that the people live.

                IRISH PROVERB

 

Never mind snows and storms for the sake of a friend.

                AZERBAIJANI PROVERB

 

One minute of patience, ten years of peace.

                GREEK PROVERB

 

Deeds are fruits. Words are leaves.

                ENGLISH PROVERB

 

If someone sweats for you, you change his shirt.

                HAITIAN PROVERB

Four eyes see more than two.

                ENGLISH PROVERB

 

Deal with the faults of others as gently as your own.

                CHINESE PROVERB

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

                AFRICAN PROVERB

 

If the wind will not serve, take the oars.

                LATIN PROVERB

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In our current pandemic climate, may we find wisdom, and encouragement, and perhaps even a little diversion in the words and thoughts of other cultures.

Until next time . . . be safe, be kind to one another, be at peace.

SOME HEALING THOUGHTS

A few days ago I came across a poem by L R Knost, contemporary writer. The words are simple, the thoughts profound. If you're in a place where Life is looking gray and grim, this short poem may speak to you.

 * * * * *

When life hits hard

and you break in the soft places,

grow, love.

Grow.

Grow into the cracks.

Fill them with plaster,

layer upon layer

of tenderness, love, and intention.

Like casts on broken bones,

steadying, supporting,

letting time heal.

Knitting a new you,

from pieces of the old you.

Still you, but different.

Still good, but changed.

Still scarred, but stronger,

wiser, braver, you.

       L. R. Knost

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Blessings,

Thursday's Child