What is it that allows us to love? Quite a big question. But allow me to proffer one possible answer, by way of a blogaversary gift to you.
A begerm’d blogaversary
Gentle – nay patient and perhaps overly tolerant – reader, time has stolen a march on me. I received an e-mail from the good folks of Tumblr during the week, informing me that Bonfire Night (that’s the Fifth of November, to any non-UK readers) marked the first anniversary of this here blog. A blogaversary, if you will (and you really ought).
I was laid low by seasonal germage on the “big” day itself. So it rather passed me by. But why not mark this blogaversary on this, the 368th day of this blog’s existence (8 November 2014), instead?
So, in the spirit of my love of social sharing and of things serendipitous, please allow me to share with you a wee blogaversary gift. I would like to present to you the most pleasing bounty that Twitter brought to me this week.
You can follow the path of this wonderful little moment of Twitter sharing, generosity and serendipity of thought and feeling by clicking on this link. Or you can plod through the following summary (apologies for how plodding it might prove to be).
A battle you know nothing about
Via the magic of the Twitter retweet, I shared Malinee Dayanand’s kind sharing of Warren Whitlock’s words (as depicted below): “Be kind to all you meet… not matter what.” A simple life lesson, but an eternally challenging one to live up to.
Without surrender
The excellent Bruce Kneuer spotted these words in his timeline, and was inspired to link to the 1927 poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. Uncultured type that I am, this was the first time I’d come across this poem. But it was exactly what I needed to read at that exact moment.
Here are the first three lines:
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
I would urge you to follow Bruce’s link and read the rest of this wonderful poem.
Mr Whitlock himself spied the discussion his original tweet had inspired. In response, he tweeted something quite wonderful: “This is what makes us human and allows us to love.”
Amen to that.
Thank you for reading this post. If you’ve ever read anything else on this blog, thank you for reading that, too. I truly appreciate your taking the time.
And please: “As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.”
MJCarty 