Virginia Is For Families

Metro Zoo Richmond Virginia, originally uploaded by Davidlind.

We are in the middle of a beautiful day here in central Virginia. Autumn is my favorite season and the cool but comfortable conditions today are so wonderfully beyond any environment I could create inside that it is a wonder why I sit here at the keyboard. But the window is nearby and in the distance there is the sound of some type of machinery. Otherwise it is quiet except for the subtle ringing in my ears and the thoughts that percolate in my mind.

Dear David, this made my laughed and smile and touched me very much because it is as human as you are. Love the Beethoven’s 9th!! And the part about bliss is very real for me. And as we once talked about, I believe we can experience this while we are living. Something I wrote yesterday: “I once let go so completely that I became part of every other thing. It was like the Big Bang of “let go(s)” for me. I’ve never been the same since. (From this experience) I have merged with something so completely that I’ve become it. I seem able to simply let go and feel my way into the world I (with my whole being). I commune with something so vast that I walk around in a constant state of “love affair with”, and it never leaves, even when my life is hard or stressed. It allows me to embrace so much, to be SO vast and unafraid. I think it has something to do with surrender.” I love how you have written about this expanding place several times in your poetry or posts. I find it very beautiful. Dear dear David, I also chuckled over: “It will be a great opportunity for some of the grandchildren to take a cool ride in a sailboat.” The magical little boy is still very much alive in you. Hugs Across the Stars, Robin

If you would like to read her fascinating blog post that resulted in this comment you can find it here:

Robin is writing a five part series on the subject of death. But she is writing about life as well and her hope that we will all enjoy it to the utmost in our daily lives.

Robin writes from her experiences and not some intellectual understanding of the subject. She would have made a good subject for William James in his landmark work The Varieties of Religious Experience. He could have spent a a great deal of time attempting to “understand” her from the heights of his vast intellectual learning.

But trying to translate the Spirit into the Intellect is a frustrating and ultimately impossible task. If you want to understand you must experience true liberation. And you may find this at Harvard University or out in the desert or anywhere between. The place is not important.

I have always felt deep down that we may find it in death. But perhaps that is just my Protestant upbringing shackling me with assumptions about heaven and a better world. It may be that there is a time and place here on earth to experience the liberation of mind and spirit that Robin has found in her daily life.

For the present moment I am just so appreciative of having Robin as a friend. Just as I am truly grateful to have such a wonderful wife and great children. We seem to all be at different points in our journey up the side of the mountain. But I am fairly certain that there are times when we rub shoulders with people who have already reached the top.

And they have come back down to share their experiences with us and encourage us with our climbs. They never look down on us. They are beside us and always ready with a word or a smile. If you do not know someone like this I pray you will find someone soon.

And I would suggest you read Robin’s blog and leave a comment or two.

Taylor Caldwell once wrote a book entitled The Listener. It’s about someone who is concealed in a wonderful sanctuary and listens to those arrive with their problems. Robin’s blog is a cyberspace sanctuary. And once again I must say that the time and place are not important in terms of finding spiritual blessings.

It’s your willingness to be open to those who are here to help and recognize their genuine warmth and kind natures that is important. And then it is quite possible that someone will walk up next to you with a smile and encouragement as you make your climb.

Yesterday I decided to visit the Richmond Metro Zoo.   I believe this zoo was built by an individual although I couldn’t find anything on the net about it.  I remember it being a lot smaller the last time we went about five years ago.  And according to some info I did find they did have a 250K expansion “this year”.

There are more than 1400 animals at this zoo and that does not include the squirrels and the birds who are just passing through.

It doesn’t include me either or any of the other paying guests.  But I must admit I didn’t see all that many animals.  Maybe some of them were hiding in the shade.  A few ran away when they saw me coming.

I can’t say I really blame them.  I need a haircut and look pretty scary when it gets long.  Also I have this large object in my hand that captures photos of animals.   You can’t be too careful about all these inventions man likes to tote around with him.

After all how did they get here in the first place?  There was no doubt some sort of mechanical intervention.  Especially when you are talking about the bigger animals.  This guy for instance is not going anywhere just because you ask him nicely.

This is such an amazing “face”.  It’s right out of the dinosaur age.  Or somewhere far away in time and space.  He didn’t run away when I came around.  He didn’t seem to notice anything except his food.

I was really impressed by the beauty of this duck.  Or maybe I should say he is very handsome.  In any case he was standing there posing.  He didn’t move at all for quite some time.  And it wasn’t like he was trying to catch something for lunch.  Could he be posing?

Maybe he’s jus conserving energy.  I don’t know.

I love ducks.  It all started years ago with Donald Duck and it has continued down through the decades.   They know how to stay cool and be cool.

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