Yesterday while working on my latest wackadoo pottery project I had a thought. Well, it was really a series of thoughts that turned into a conversation, and it went a little something like this:
Self: “You need to add a post to your blog since you want to be a trendy blogging hipster.”
Self: “But what shall I write about? I don’t feel very inspired to write right now. I could bug the hubby to take pics of my current pottery project and post a self-promoting blog about my pottery art, but I don't feel like bugging him right now.”
Self: “Wait! Work of pottery art? You think you are an ‘artist’ now? You barely started ceramics classes 6 months ago. Do you know how long it takes to be a ceramics artist? Really now, when one studies ceramics it truly becomes a life-long study because one never really is able to ‘master’ clay because clay is its own entity! Tsk, tsk silly girl!”
Self: “Oh quit being so uppity. Can’t you just go with the flow and allow me to live out this fantasy in my own little mind!?!”
Self: “Yes, you are right. I apologize. Ok, let’s get back to the blog-thingy task. What are you going to do?”
Self: “Oh, I don’t know, let’s just give it a rest for now. I’m afraid you will just beat me up about it right now.”
Self: “Ok. I see what you mean. But don’t think the ‘beatings’ won’t commence tomorrow! I’ll give you a temporary reprieve today.”
Self: “Thank you!”
Self: “You are quite welcome. Good day, Sir! Err… oh… I mean, Ma’am.”
Well, now it’s today, and all of a sudden The Prophet popped into my fragile little mind (along with my own personal mash-up song: ‘Afro Circus Big Bang Theory Soft Kitty’). Oh don’t give me any crap, you know your brain is just as screwy in its own way.
Now, where was I? Oh yes, I remember. I was around the age of 13 when I happened to stumble upon (figuretively) a poetry book that contained a passage from Kahlil Gibran’s great work, The Prophet. It was the passage titled “On Children”. I read the passage over and over, and with each reading I slowly began to absorb it and think about how it applied to my life. I became obsessed with it. I was so consumed with it that I could not part with the book which translated effectively into literally “borrowing it forever” from a certain entity ( I don’t want the feds coming after me, so I won’t name the entity who “lent” me the book).
Anyway, I just couldn’t part with the book and leave behind Kahlil’s work. It was my first outward expression of independence and rebellion, and I still have that book to this day. It has become a treasured item that I shall only part with upon my own demise. In other words, the feds are going to have to pry it from my cold dead hands in order to get it back (oh so very dramatic). So, now it’s today, and I want to share and perpetuate the legacy which is Kahlil’s Gibran’s book The Prophet.
On Children
Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
I don’t want to lose you all together so I won’t go into how to properly reference a chapter in a book. I will simply underline some of the other passages that sing to me on an enlightened stave. They are: On Marriage (I think that passage would be great to incorporate into a wedding ceremony). Also On Love, On Pain, On Friendship. Oh heck, all of them are great in and of themselves. Below is a link that lists all of the passages. No need for me to go and recreate the wheel if there is a site that already has all of them. I would love to know what you think of the passages and share which ones are your favorites and why.
I must go for now, the corporate world is calling me. *Sigh* But before I go, I want to add some pictures related to Kahlil and his work. He was also a wonderful artist. All of the work on this blog spot is his. Do some more research on Kahlil. Familiarize yourself with Kahlil’s masterpiece, it is an enlightening experience from an enlightened artistic genius. Thanks, Kahlil, for opening up my mind at such a vulnerable and integral point of my life. That’s not to say that this point in my life is not integral and that I am not still vulnerable. Oh I could go on forever…
Cheers, Heidi Ho, Over and Out!~
~B
My very own Afro Circus Big Bang Theory Soft Kittty mash-up:
DaDaDaDaDaDa… afro circus afro circus… DaDaDaDaDaDa… it all started with a big bang… soft kitty warm kitty little ball of fur kitty…
