Monday 25 August 2014

The end of one book and the beginning of another

'I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do i ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words so damning and brilliant'

I finished the last few pages of the Book Thief after savouring them for a while. I couldn't not share these words here (aware of the double negative). I do share the words that stay with me, and these words are beautiful and deserve to be shared. I actually have four people now waiting to borrow this book. Four beautiful people who I am certain will enjoy it as much as I did. These words do a wonderful job of summarising what it is to be human; that we are ugly and glorious, beautiful and damned, powerful yet powerless. Alone yet forever connected. Human beings are really quite amazing creatures. We embody dark and light and we manage to combine the two simultaneously and it is the most natural thing to us. It is what makes us precisely who we are.

It has been a disjointed weekend, filled with both ugliness and glory. So this is a very disjointed post but I also wanted to share a couple of pictures of a walk we went on a couple of nights ago. Dusk/sunset is my favourite time to walk without a doubt. You encounter the odd friendly dog walker or the occasional couple, perhaps even the stranger who may or may not be the stranger your parents warned you about. But really my favourite thing is that the sun is deeper and and shadows are longer and the views are just a little more spectacular. There are less people, and because it is the end of the day the head space is good for the soul. Some people think it is best to begin the day with a clear mind but for me it is best to end the day with clarity. If not, it is like going to bed carrying with you an unresolved argument or knowing a deadline is at lunchtime the following day but you still have your conclusion to write. We can find ourselves living in the past or the future before we have even experienced what the now is offering us. I am reminded of this often - never often enough! But often..







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