Cogitating….
“to think deeply about something: meditate or reflect”.
I was going to write about life as a preacher’s kid, the ups, down and the ridiculousness of life in a manse! It is going to have to wait. Two things caught my attention this week and I just had to share them with you,
An Instagram posts about a chair, as well as a few interviews with Charlie Mackesy about his latest book new “Always Remember – The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, The Horse and The Storm,” certainly got me cogitating.
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed his first book, beautifully illustrated and written, “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse”, I am drawn to Charlie and his calm and gentle disposition, his honesty about living with anxiety and his gorgeous sense of humour.
His writing and illustrations are certainly a calming balm for the soul, as well as his deep understanding of life, fear, pain, happiness, rejection, loss and celebrating the small wins, is like entering a restful place.
I am sharing this warm and honest snippet taken from the introduction of the book…
“The drawings are mainly of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse. I’ll tell you a little bit about them – although I’m sure you’ll see things here that I don’t, so I’ll be quick.
The boy is lonely when the mole first surfaces. They spend time together gazing into the wild. I think the wild is a bit like life – frightening sometimes but beautiful.
In their wanderings they meet the fox. It’s never going to be easy meeting a fox if you are a mole.
The boy is full of questions; the mole is greedy for cake. The fox is mainly silent and wary because he’s been hurt by life. The horse is the biggest thing they have ever encountered, and also the gentlest.
They are all different, like us, and each has their own weaknesses, I can see myself in all four of them, perhaps you can too.
I hope this book encourages you, perhaps, to live courageously with more kindness for yourself and others. And to ask for help when you need it – which is always a brave thing to do.” Charlie Mackesy.
We are all in need of a space, place or book where we find some healing and honesty and realness.
Where we can laugh and cry and at the same time identify with the traits and characteristics of the characters.
I most definitely identify with the mole…
The boy asked mole: “Do you have a favourite saying?”
“Yes” said the mole.
“What is it?”
“If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake.”
“I see, does it work?”
“Every, time”
I so agree with mole, when irritations get you down…just stop and have some cake.
By now you might be wondering what the heck I am going with all of this.
The Instagram post about a chair! How and where does that fit in?
Whilst quietly watching and listening to interviews with Charlie, and absorbing his gentle wisdom, a post popped up (I wish I had saved it), I might sound a bit vague, however, I got the essence of it. This post has been swirling around in my head for days … I have been cogitating.
A lecturer placed a chair in the middle of the room, she asked her students to write an essay about the chair, they could focus on a part of or the whole chair.
The students duly complied, each submitting their essay. In her feedback with the students, the lecturer thanked them for their very interesting submissions – pointing out some students focussed on the seat, others on the back rest, some even commentating on the legs while others focussed just on the chair.
However, very sadly they had missed the essence of the assignment in that not one of them wrote about the clasps, tacks, glue, carpentry joints, all the seemingly unseen bits and bobs that hold a chair together ensuring that it is safe and sturdy enough to hold our weight.
I guess we can equate all of this to life…… while we are so focussed on all the negativity that seeps into our daily life; as well as the big” things we strive for – that fast fancy car, a big house, the latest fashion, we forget to focus on the things that truly matter.
Like the smile of a friendly cashier, a cheerful word from a stranger, a beautiful smile, those everyday events that brings us joy, a feeling of contentment and happiness. Yes, the things that are unseen, that money cannot buy and that make us feel so happy to be alive. Very much like the description of the chair – the unseen bits like “the carpentry joints, the tacks, glue and clasps, all the wonderful things that make us human, moments when we are kind to others and hopefully to ourselves.
Why don’t we take a break, make a cup of tea, enjoy a huge slice of our favourite cake, find a comfortable chair to sit in, dream, read or even cogitate – just for a moment be happy and at peace with ourselves and the world – all the while remembering to cogitate on the really important stuff.
“I got you a delicious cake,” said the mole.
“Did you?”
“Yes”
“Where is it?”
“I ate it,” said the mole.
“Oh”
“But I got you another,”
“Did you?”
“Where is that one?”
“The same thing seems to have happened.”
Laugh out loud, smile and just be kind to yourself…
“Often the hardest person to forgive is yourself”.
With a heart filled with gratitude to Charlie Mackesy for his wonderful book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
