Shallow and Deep Thoughts

Shallow Thoughts - I saw two incredibly ugly cars today. One was a hot pink Taurus and one was this ugly shiny yellow-green Saturn. I think the color might be called chartreuse. They were eyesores and I hope they get charged higher insurance rates because they are so ugly that they are distracting to other drivers.

Deep Thoughts - I took a walk today when I got home from work. I walked over to Campus Drive and up to the gym, then back along the trail by the creek. On the trail there are stone benches that have been dedicated as memorials to those who have passed by their family and friends. It made me think about my Grandma Dot. I think a bench along a walking trail would be a fitting memorial for her because some of my favorite memories of her are taking walks with her and her sister, my Great Aunt Evie, on summer evenings. We'd walk about a mile, from her store in West Hickory out of town to the foot of Tank Hill and back. It was always interesting to hear her and Aunt Evie talk about the old school that used to be in West Hickory, the old houses we would pass, and the people who used to live in the area. And then I remembered that for some reason, in the spring I always end up thinking about death, and endings. This morning, I noticed that on my calendar that today is the anniversary of Scott Cunningham's passing. For those of you who don't know, Scott Cunningham is a rather prolific Wiccan author. His book, Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, was one of the first to say, "Not everyone can find a coven or a teacher, and this beautiful, Earth-based religion should be shared with anyone who wants to learn about it." So I lit a candle for him this morning while I drank my tea. It has always seemed strange to me that I think about death during the springtime, because spring is about new beginnings, and things starting over again. Life is blooming all around me. I saw buds and seed pods forming on the trees and bushes along the road and the trail today. Maybe it's the weather in part, because 50 degrees and a cold wind feels the same in October or March here in Bradford. Or maybe it's because before you can have a new beginning, there is always an ending. To plant new crops, you have to turn the old growth in the fields over into the soil. Death fertilizes life, and the Wheel Turns.

Merry Part and Blessed Be