I like being inside a mist. It’s so cool … I can see the air! See-through and pass-through, easily.
Usually I’m not aware of the air. I look across the town square and first thing I see is the tree on the far side.
It seems like there’s a whole bunch of thoroughly solid things, better known as human beings, wandering around in the nothingness of space. Like there’s a huge contrast between the photo above and the one below.
But maybe not
Perhaps we’re porous flowing objects gently blending into the air, and then to the next porous flowing object.
What if there’s far more space than matter, even inside the complexity I call my body? Maybe each blood vessel has immense room to roam inside the supposed boundary of the skin.
And what of these thoughts? They appear to my left, linger awhile in the centre, and float away to the right … far past the rim of my visual field.
I live fifty metres from one of the most stunning buildings in Gent. I arrived here three years ago, and my awareness of this particular beauty has faded. Silly me.
Places to go, people to meet … too fast.
Like the tourists, I need to stop and stare at this ancient architecture. To be moved, to be brought to silence.
Here’s the complete picture:
1669
Animals
Human beings looking out at the world
I love the man playing his flute. And the family on the peak. And the windows with circles inside.
My eyes need to settle, to drink in the majesty … whether it’s a building or a person. To stay, not rush past to the next.
The remembrance and applauding of a fine human being happened yesterday in a New York City chapel.
Patricia Albere
She has contributed to the lives of thousands of people … including me.
The service was livestreamed to reach those of us who live far away. I watched as members of the Evolutionary Collective hugged each other, wishing I was there for the giving and receiving.
Friends, colleagues and Patricia’s son Alex spoke to us. I wrote down some things. Here is who Patricia is:
The soft voice in my head has guided me for years:
Love people
Make them laugh
Sing
So far, my singing has been at open mic sessions at Salvatore’s and Minard. Now it’s time for a broader horizon.
I want to sing in the open air. The Langemunt is a shopping street nearby … lots of cool shops. Months ago I bought new glasses at Eyes + More. Yesterday, when I mentioned to Virginie, the store’s manager, that I want to sing beautiful songs outside Lloyd Coffee Eatery, she said “Sing here. Right outside our door.”
Woh! An invitation. I feel stars aligning.
Armed with bright eyes, I set off to Van de Moer Instruments, where I’d bought a keyboard years ago. I told my story to Dirk, and he recommended the amplifier you see in the picture. And a good microphone. And a mic stand with a boom arm, to accommodate future cello accompaniment!
Eyes wider …
I don’t have the money right now to make this happen, but May 15 starts a new MasterCard monthly cycle. I wouldn’t have to come up with the money till July 4!
Be practical, Bruce. Don’t do anything rash
Yeah, right
In the spirit of moderation, I phoned Stad Gent (the municipal government) to see what flavour of bureaucracy might rear its lovely head …
No license needed … (check)
Be at least ten metres from a restaurant terrace … (check)
Be at least fifty metres from another street performer … (check)
Between 10:00 and 21:00 … (check)
No microphone and amplifier … (not check!)
The idea is that you don’t disturb people who live on the street. Okay, I get that.
However, I decided to do an experiment yesterday. I stood outside Eyes + More as shoppers flowed past, many of them deep in conversation. I started singing. And I could barely hear myself, much less anyone else clueing into what I was doing.
I’ve seen many street performers on the Langemunt. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen one without a microphone.
So … what does all this mean?
I’ll pay for the equipment on May 15
It should arrive in the store by May 22
By the end of May, I’ll share about twenty* amplified songs outside Eyes + More
And if the police lock me up, I’ve heard that the food is really good in jail!
My friend Kobe says that he wants to write a book about me.
!
He says it’s a way for me to live on after I die.
How should I react? What should I conclude?
Perhaps I should let go of any meaning and just allow his gracious request to wash over me. “Thank you” feels right.
I’ve had oodles of chapters in this life of mine. So many human beings have come … and most of them have gone. I sense that I’ve made a difference with many souls, but I don’t know.
It could be that many students say to their friends “Do you remember Mr. Kerr? He was a good guy.” And maybe not.
I have countless stories to tell if Kobe is willing to listen. I think they’re interesting, but I’m biased. You might see things differently.
I wonder what I would title the book if I wrote an autobiography. Hmm. I’ll go with what just came …
I started writing Bruce’s Blog on June 20, 2014 … the day after I retired from teaching. I write on WordPress (or Jetpack). A few years after I began, I started transferring my words to Facebook.
Today is my 2500th post
Yay!
I just did the math. That’s more than one post every two days.
***
I’m proud of myself. Every paragraph over the twelve years has been a part of me thrown out into the world. And I’ve never had the thought “Today I’ll write something that will be popular. I’ll get lots of Likes!”
I write for you, to hopefully touch your life, open your eyes a bit wider, and make you smile. Only rarely do I write for me, in the times when woe is me, and tapping out words is my therapy.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
(from “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver)
1. Write
This blog, most every day. Maybe two hundred words … about people and things and moments that touch me. (And tomorrow is a very big day for this!)
2. Memorize the Lyrics of Beautiful Songs
It’s hard work for me, and happy work. My olderbrain appreciates the stimulation. And therefore I shall live to 104.
3. Sing
At open mic sessions – Salvatore’s and Minard. And in the future … on the street. Hopefully on the Langemunt or nearby. A microphone, a speaker, no basket, and me. Songs that move.
4. Play Cello
Fine melodies, played slowly. All the time in the world. “Imagine” as an instrumental. The final note drifting off in the air.
5. Strength Training on Weight Machines and Cardiovascular on the Cross-Trainer
Staying strong … so I can keep climbing the fifty steps to my apartment till I’m ninety. I also want to develop the perfect U-shaped body.
6. Doing the Mutual Awakening Practice at Meetings of the Evolutionary Collective
True connection with other members of the human race, one at a time. The ego fading away. Time disappearing. All is well.
7. Meditating
Most every day, in my sweet meditation chair.
Showing me a path to quiet, to soft, to still.
8. One-to-one Conversations
What’s important in our lives, what’s real, what opens our hearts.
I sang two songs last night at Salvatore’s – Chris de Burgh’s “The Snows of New York” and Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”. I’m smiling as I remember.
And now … What’s next?
A few days ago, I included these lines at the end of a post:
I have seen the morning burnin’ golden on the mountain in the sky Achin’ with the feeling of the freedom of an eagle when she flies
Yesterday, I went back to visit. “Those words are poetry.” And I’m ready to have such a melody emerge from my mouth.
Loving Her Was Easier … a love song written by Kris Kristofferson. And a nod yes. After all, who could resist these musings? Not me.
Healin’ as the colors in the sunlight and the shadows of her eyes
Or …
Wakin’ in the morning to the feeling of her fingers on my skin Wipin’ off the traces of the people and the places that I’ve been
Or …
I don’t know the answer to the easy way She opened every door in my mind But dreamin’ was as easy as believin’ it was never gonna end And loving her was easier than anything I’ll ever do again
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