From The Restory - Conversations On The Journey (231)

More Than Ourselves

The Conversation

Wendell Berry has been at the forefront of our thoughts these past few weeks. Today, we take one of his remarks - or observations - that surfaced in last week’s blog a little further.

It is easy to live within the narrow confines of our own thoughts, needs, and plans, as if we were the centre of reality. Yet real life - and especially true growth - begins when we realize that we are not alone; that we do not learn on our own how to become better, wiser, and more fully human.

To love is rarely a matter of romantic seclusion. Rather, it is the grueling, beautiful awakening to the reality of something - and someone - other than oneself. We are not shaped in a vacuum. The people with whom we live - with all their imperfections and the unexpected burdens they place upon us - often become our finest spiritual guides. Through them, we are slowly liberated from our self-absorption.

This interconnectedness extends beyond our fellow human beings. It also encompasses the earth that sustains us: that most ancient, noble, and ultimately joyful responsibility to care for and preserve it.

In this blog post, we explore a few thoughts that remind us that our lives only acquire deeper meaning when we step out of the small room of the "self" and move into the larger demanding, yet grace-filled space of the "other."

Elements From The Conversation

Music

Our days are made up of countless little things - conversations, daily routines, phone calls, the planting of cuttings, organizing birthdays - that flow together like streams to teach, stretch, and awaken us. Things that hopefully help us simply grow and mature.

With our love. Always.

George & Matilda

Comments

Whistle while you work

Drawing by Ron Leishman When last did you whistle while working? When last did you hear someone else whistle while working? Somehow it bothers me that whistling has become an almost absent element in our work. The sound of a person whistling a tune while busy somewhere in the house or out in the workshop conveys something of an underlying happiness, satisfaction and contentment. An enjoyment of the work itself. The tune need not be flawless. Applying more air than sound won’t lead to disqualification, as long as the intention is there. Whistling can even be replaced by singing in all that I’ve said up to now. The same principles apply. The absence of any of these two activities bothers me because it says something about us doing the work and the type of work that we do. Can it be that our type of labour in this 21 st century is not conducive to either whistling or singing? What type of work is that then – draining, stressful, pressured? Or are our conclusions ...

A likely Hero: Jara Cimrman

As Matilda has already indicated, one of the most difficult things to do after you’ve visited a country is to return and convey something of what you’ve experienced. How do you show a city’s many faces, introduce its inhabitants? How do you tell of the effects a history has on people and of a stance towards life that can actually not be translated into words? In the case of Prague, it is very helpful to have someone like Jara Cimrman. ~ ~ v ~ ~ Petrin Hill, on the left bank of the river Vltava running through Prague, is in many ways a site worth visiting. Climbing the 299 steps of the Petrin Tower, inspired by the Eiffel Tower, gives you one of the most beautiful views of the city. But by going down into its basement, you enter into the psyche of the Czech people. Here, quite unobtrusively, is the museum for the “ Genius, who has not become famous ”. Matilda and I almost stumbled onto it by chance and as we went through the exhibition, our amazement over this brilliant ...

You never can tell

This morning I was out in the vegetable garden looking for signs of sprouting cabbage and spinach that we had sown a week ago. Among the weeds, I did find the tiny seedlings pushing through bravely, but I had a surprise coming. The young Zulu gardener drew my attention to an abundance of ready food growing in the ruins of the tiny stone cottage only meters away: Umbido, a type of wild spinach, and a staple food in the rural areas. I grew up with much the same in the northern parts of the country, but called Marogo in the Sotho language. Enter my new helper and friend, Winnie Nkosi. She lives on the edge of the Zaaihoekdam in a traditional mud house with no electricity. Twice a week she walks the four odd kilometres to help me with all things domestic. She has also taken it upon herself to teach me the Zulu language and culture with optimistic determination. The planned lunch menu was immediately ditched in favour of a lesson in local cooking and Winnie showed me the differenc...

The Restory Retreat Centre

Search This Blog