Beauty in Strange Places

My daughter's boyfriend has a delightful blog called "Religion in Strange Places," and sometimes I think mine should be called "Beauty in Strange Places." Not that you may find this image beautiful, but -- for whatever reason -- I did. Even though it's shot at an odd angle, and it's just the sunset reflected in the taillight of a car in the ferry line... well, I just like it! So live with it!

This is one of a bunch of images I shot today -- I was kind of on a roll coming home on the ferry this evening, and just about everything seemed beautiful to me. So even though I was involved in school for almost 12 hours, I still came home with almost 130 new images.

I think it has something to do with all the pieces in me that are being opened up by this experience. And it makes me think of a poem I read in my Hafiz book while waiting for the ferry (I've decided reading Hafiz in the morning will be the perfect antidote to all these textbooks). So I'll share a piece of that poem (called "Why Just ask the Donkey") with you, because it makes me think of some things that were revealed in the classroom today:

Why
Just ask the donkey in me
To speak to the donkey in you,

When I have so many other beautiful animals
And brilliant colored birds inside
That are all longing to say something wonderful
And exciting to your heart?

I think many of us grow up with adults who are uncomfortable with that which is outrageous or original in children -- which is not to blame those adults, only to say that they felt their job was to civilize us, and that which is uncivilized has always made grownups nervous.

But a lot of what they felt or designated uncivilized was probably our raw creativity and originality, so when those bits surface later -- whether in ourselves or in others -- (here come those deutero-truths again) we get uncomfortable and try to damp them down. Which means we end up being kind of donkeys, speaking to other donkeys. Even if we know our own brilliant birds inside, we don't share them, and others don't let us see theirs, either -- which I suspect leads to a lot of unfortunate underestimating and misunderstanding of one another.

Why just bring your donkey to me
Asking for stale hay
And a boring conference with the idiot
In regards to this precious matter --
Such a precious matter a s love,

When I have so many other divine animals
And brilliant colored birds inside
That are all longing
To so sweetly
Greet
You!

Perhaps it's time to take a risk: stop trotting out that same old donkey in situations where you feel awkward, or uncomfortable, or overwhelmed. Bring out some of the Divine Animal in you, let it step into the room, maybe growl or strut a bit, or flex its glamorous feathers.

Now I'm not saying "let it all hang out."

I'm just sayin...