Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, April 24, 2009
Gratitude for Death and for Life
If the flap of a butterfly's wings may cause unexpected, larger changes in the future, what does the present owe the future?
Our children's children will reap the effects of what we do today. We live, we die - we leave behind traces of our existence, good, bad, indifferent.
Life is death, death is life; a continuum of causes and effects, affecting future generations, affecting the present.
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein.
I highly recommend practicing the attitude of gratitude. What else is there?
Josee
Our children's children will reap the effects of what we do today. We live, we die - we leave behind traces of our existence, good, bad, indifferent.
Life is death, death is life; a continuum of causes and effects, affecting future generations, affecting the present.
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein.
I highly recommend practicing the attitude of gratitude. What else is there?
Josee
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The two friends - Camella Camel and Leo Lizard
THIS IS A STORY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
“It’s dark and cold, and I’m lost,” Camella Camel thought. Tears tangled in her long, curly eyelashes and for a moment she couldn’t see anything.
“Camels can always see, even with their eyes closed! What’s happening to me?" Then she heard a noise. A cricket chirruped then fell silent. Camella Camel snorted nervously and continued climbing up the steep hill. She didn't notice the pile of loose gravel and she tripped and fell backwards, tumbling all the way back to the bottom of the hill.
Something wriggled under her.
“Who’s there?” she hissed nervously.
“You fell on me! D’you know how heavy you are? You nearly killed me!” A large lizard crawled out from under her, his plump tail swishing back and forth, his eyes glittering angrily like little specks of diamonds.
“I didn’t mean to fall on you,” Camella Camel apologized. “I fell down from up there,” and she pointed to the rocky hill.
“Well, killing me isn’t going to help you,” the lizard replied angrily. “I was just about to eat my dinner, and now he’s run away!”
“Your dinner ran away? Oh, that’s so funny!”
“My kind of dinner isn’t the same as yours!” the lizard replied, “I have to hunt for my food, I run around, catch a spider or a cricket, and only then can I eat dinner.”
“Ugh,” Camella Camel said and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“Different folks, different food,” replied the lizard. "Anyway my name’s Leo Lizard, what’s yours?”
“I'm so pleased to meet you, Leo Lizard! I'm Camella Camel.”
“Why are you out at this time of night?” Leo Lizard asked Camella Camel.
“I was following my mom and my brother, and I stopped to eat some leaves. I should’ve told my mom to wait for me, but I didn’t, and she didn’t see me stop. Now I’m lost… and I have to get over this hill.”
“What’s over the hill?” asked Leo Lizard.
“My grandpa lives there. That’s where we were going before I got left behind. Now I have to find my own way there.” Camella Camel looked sadly at Leo Lizard. “Can you help me?”
“Me? Help you? You nearly killed me, and anyway, I haven’t eaten dinner yet!”
“Could you help me after you’ve had your dinner?”
“Well, hmmmm, I don’t know,” Leo Lizard replied mischievously. “What happens if I don’t find anything to eat, huh? You chased my dinner away!”
“I’ll wait for you,” Camella Camel replied patiently. “I think I’ll be able to find my grandpa if you can help me climb up this hill.”
“How d'you expect me to help you up the hill? You’re a thousand times bigger than me!”
“If you could show me where to walk so that I don’t step on loose stones, that would help me a lot.”
Leo Lizard had to think about this. He walked around humming and hawing. Camella Camel watched him nervously, hoping that he would take pity on her and help her.
“Okay,” he said at last, “I’ll help you up that hill, but you have to pay me.”
“I don’t have anything to pay you with!” Camella Camel cried, “What shall I do if you don’t help me?”
Leo Lizard was really a very nice lizard, but he didn’t want Camella Camel to think that she could take advantage of him. After all, this was his dinner time, and because of her he probably wouldn't eat tonight. And he was getting on in age so hills were difficult for him. But he wanted to help the baby camel.
“I want a leaf,” he replied, “it must be fresh and green, and about this size.” He spread out his arms as wide as he could. “Can you do that for me?”
“Of course!” replied Camella Camel happily and walked over to the nearest tree. She nosed around, smelling for the best leaf on the tree and finally found the perfect one. She brought it back and dropped it at Leo Lizard’s feet.
Leo Lizard inspected the leaf carefully, looking for a blemish, or perhaps a hole, but the leaf was perfect.
“Yes,” Leo Lizard nodded happily, “this is good. Now I’ll keep my end of the bargain. Let’s go. I’ll lead the way, and you follow.”
Leo Lizard started up the hill. Camilla Camel was careful not to get too close to him because she didn’t want to step on him by mistake!
Leo Lizard inspected every piece of ground as he climbed, sweeping away a loose stone here and there. Finally they reached the top of the hill, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.
Leo Lizard was puffing hard as he reached the top of the hill.
“Are you alright?” Camella Camel asked him, concerned that her new friend was sick.
“I don’t usually climb so high,” Leo Lizard confessed, “I knew this was going to be very hard for me, but I wanted to help you.” His body trembled with weakness and Camella Camel was worried. His eyes were closed, and his chest was thumping loudly.
“Well,” Leo Lizard said, without opening his eyes, “you’re at the top of the hill. Now you can find your own way to your grandpa, can’t you?”
“Yes, I can,” Camella Camel replied happily, looking down the gently sloping ground. “He lives behind that clump of trees over there."
“I’m too tired to open my eyes,” Leo Lizard replied, “but you go on. I’ll be okay in a little while. I just need to rest. Go! Go!” He waved his arm weakly and opened one eye. “I wish I had my leaf here. I feel protected and safe when I rest under a leaf.”
Camella Camel looked back down the hill they had just climbed up.
“Thank you, Leo Lizard for having cleared the path for me.”
Leo Lizard smiled weakly and nodded without opening his eyes.
“I’ve got an idea!” Camella Camel cried. “I’m going to take you back down again, so that you can sleep comfortably under your leaf. I’ll take you down and then carry on with my journey. It will be easy. Now that it's daytime”
Before Leo Lizard could protest she gently picked him up in her mouth and started back down the hill. When she reached the bottom of the hill, Camella Camel found Leo Lizard’s perfect leaf. She bent over and very gently dropped Leo Lizard on the ground. By this time, he was fast asleep.
She rolled the leaf over him. “Thank you, my friend,” she said quietly and started back up the hill.
In a little while she reached the top of the hill again, and saw her mother and brother and her grandpa. And they had seen her, too!
She galloped down the hill toward them, happy that her adventure was over, and happier still that she had made a new friend, one that didn’t look like her or even speak like her. And she had been able to help him, too. When she first met him, he had looked mean, with wrinkled skin, and she had laughed at him because he was small. But his heart was bigger than the hill she had climbed, and she knew that he would always be her friend.
“I hope I meet more friends like him!” She cried as she joined her family.
“Camels can always see, even with their eyes closed! What’s happening to me?" Then she heard a noise. A cricket chirruped then fell silent. Camella Camel snorted nervously and continued climbing up the steep hill. She didn't notice the pile of loose gravel and she tripped and fell backwards, tumbling all the way back to the bottom of the hill.
Something wriggled under her.
“Who’s there?” she hissed nervously.
“You fell on me! D’you know how heavy you are? You nearly killed me!” A large lizard crawled out from under her, his plump tail swishing back and forth, his eyes glittering angrily like little specks of diamonds.
“I didn’t mean to fall on you,” Camella Camel apologized. “I fell down from up there,” and she pointed to the rocky hill.
“Well, killing me isn’t going to help you,” the lizard replied angrily. “I was just about to eat my dinner, and now he’s run away!”
“Your dinner ran away? Oh, that’s so funny!”
“My kind of dinner isn’t the same as yours!” the lizard replied, “I have to hunt for my food, I run around, catch a spider or a cricket, and only then can I eat dinner.”
“Ugh,” Camella Camel said and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“Different folks, different food,” replied the lizard. "Anyway my name’s Leo Lizard, what’s yours?”
“I'm so pleased to meet you, Leo Lizard! I'm Camella Camel.”
“Why are you out at this time of night?” Leo Lizard asked Camella Camel.
“I was following my mom and my brother, and I stopped to eat some leaves. I should’ve told my mom to wait for me, but I didn’t, and she didn’t see me stop. Now I’m lost… and I have to get over this hill.”
“What’s over the hill?” asked Leo Lizard.
“My grandpa lives there. That’s where we were going before I got left behind. Now I have to find my own way there.” Camella Camel looked sadly at Leo Lizard. “Can you help me?”
“Me? Help you? You nearly killed me, and anyway, I haven’t eaten dinner yet!”
“Could you help me after you’ve had your dinner?”
“Well, hmmmm, I don’t know,” Leo Lizard replied mischievously. “What happens if I don’t find anything to eat, huh? You chased my dinner away!”
“I’ll wait for you,” Camella Camel replied patiently. “I think I’ll be able to find my grandpa if you can help me climb up this hill.”
“How d'you expect me to help you up the hill? You’re a thousand times bigger than me!”
“If you could show me where to walk so that I don’t step on loose stones, that would help me a lot.”
Leo Lizard had to think about this. He walked around humming and hawing. Camella Camel watched him nervously, hoping that he would take pity on her and help her.
“Okay,” he said at last, “I’ll help you up that hill, but you have to pay me.”
“I don’t have anything to pay you with!” Camella Camel cried, “What shall I do if you don’t help me?”
Leo Lizard was really a very nice lizard, but he didn’t want Camella Camel to think that she could take advantage of him. After all, this was his dinner time, and because of her he probably wouldn't eat tonight. And he was getting on in age so hills were difficult for him. But he wanted to help the baby camel.
“I want a leaf,” he replied, “it must be fresh and green, and about this size.” He spread out his arms as wide as he could. “Can you do that for me?”
“Of course!” replied Camella Camel happily and walked over to the nearest tree. She nosed around, smelling for the best leaf on the tree and finally found the perfect one. She brought it back and dropped it at Leo Lizard’s feet.
Leo Lizard inspected the leaf carefully, looking for a blemish, or perhaps a hole, but the leaf was perfect.
“Yes,” Leo Lizard nodded happily, “this is good. Now I’ll keep my end of the bargain. Let’s go. I’ll lead the way, and you follow.”
Leo Lizard started up the hill. Camilla Camel was careful not to get too close to him because she didn’t want to step on him by mistake!
Leo Lizard inspected every piece of ground as he climbed, sweeping away a loose stone here and there. Finally they reached the top of the hill, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.
Leo Lizard was puffing hard as he reached the top of the hill.
“Are you alright?” Camella Camel asked him, concerned that her new friend was sick.
“I don’t usually climb so high,” Leo Lizard confessed, “I knew this was going to be very hard for me, but I wanted to help you.” His body trembled with weakness and Camella Camel was worried. His eyes were closed, and his chest was thumping loudly.
“Well,” Leo Lizard said, without opening his eyes, “you’re at the top of the hill. Now you can find your own way to your grandpa, can’t you?”
“Yes, I can,” Camella Camel replied happily, looking down the gently sloping ground. “He lives behind that clump of trees over there."
“I’m too tired to open my eyes,” Leo Lizard replied, “but you go on. I’ll be okay in a little while. I just need to rest. Go! Go!” He waved his arm weakly and opened one eye. “I wish I had my leaf here. I feel protected and safe when I rest under a leaf.”
Camella Camel looked back down the hill they had just climbed up.
“Thank you, Leo Lizard for having cleared the path for me.”
Leo Lizard smiled weakly and nodded without opening his eyes.
“I’ve got an idea!” Camella Camel cried. “I’m going to take you back down again, so that you can sleep comfortably under your leaf. I’ll take you down and then carry on with my journey. It will be easy. Now that it's daytime”
Before Leo Lizard could protest she gently picked him up in her mouth and started back down the hill. When she reached the bottom of the hill, Camella Camel found Leo Lizard’s perfect leaf. She bent over and very gently dropped Leo Lizard on the ground. By this time, he was fast asleep.
She rolled the leaf over him. “Thank you, my friend,” she said quietly and started back up the hill.
In a little while she reached the top of the hill again, and saw her mother and brother and her grandpa. And they had seen her, too!
She galloped down the hill toward them, happy that her adventure was over, and happier still that she had made a new friend, one that didn’t look like her or even speak like her. And she had been able to help him, too. When she first met him, he had looked mean, with wrinkled skin, and she had laughed at him because he was small. But his heart was bigger than the hill she had climbed, and she knew that he would always be her friend.
“I hope I meet more friends like him!” She cried as she joined her family.
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