He said, "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
++++++++++
Wilbur
Wilbur is rough, not sleek.
His sweater is misshapen
and beginning to run.
The moths have eaten away
at the wool herringbone
of his soles.
The forward lean I took
for aggression is
actually curiousity.
The scruffy appearance is not
from brawling but crawling
through the brambles, pushing
to see what's on
the other side.
The head cocked to the side,
the quizzical look,
“How's it going, guy?”
Compassionate, curious.
What I want to be
when I grow up.
—Jeffery Taylor
++++++++++
Wilbur
Wilbur is rough, not sleek.
His sweater is misshapen
and beginning to run.
The moths have eaten away
at the wool herringbone
of his soles.
The forward lean I took
for aggression is
actually curiousity.
The scruffy appearance is not
from brawling but crawling
through the brambles, pushing
to see what's on
the other side.
The head cocked to the side,
the quizzical look,
“How's it going, guy?”
Compassionate, curious.
What I want to be
when I grow up.
—Jeffery Taylor
++++++++++
Zen Writing and The Velveteen Mouse
When JoJo came to Memorial Hospital in Houston
To be my special friend many years ago
He had wonderful bright green velvet pantaloons
And eyes that went around when he shook
And beautiful, big, round velvet ears.
JoJo was my very special amoravore.
I did not drag him around the trailer park by his foot
Like Annabelle—her head bumping along in the dirt.
JoJo was special.
Maybe it was those green velvet pantaloons?
When I flew to New York after graduation,
JoJo stayed behind in Texas.
But not for long.
I was trying to become,
And it just didn't work without JoJo.
To become takes a long time.
I ask myself, "How will you ever become
If you break easily, have sharp edges,
And have to be carefully kept?"
But I must have become
Because my joints are loose,
And lately I have begun to look very shabby.
I talk to JoJo,
Who is very real.
All the white fur is rubbed off
His beautiful mouse face
And his big, round ears.
And he tells me,
"These things don't matter at all,
Because once you are real,
You can't be ugly."
—Janelle Taylor
++++++++++
I saw a photo of me 60 years ago. “What a cute kid,” I thought. Then I remembered how I thought of myself then and was surprised at how different that was to how I think of myself now.
There is a Buddhist meditation where we scan our innards (see: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel271.html). The idea is to not get attached to our youthful stupendous looks and to just see ourselves as nothing too appetizing.
This is more in line with the Velveteen Rabbit, who has developed her charm and grace over many years. She is no longer our prom queen. The beauty she now maintains is far deeper and more substantial.
In Europe we see buildings that are a couple of thousands of years old. Some have been maintained and others are mere skeletons of what they once were. But they all have a patina and a presence that is not seen in our modern buildings.
We are a society of the new. Models have a short life span. Unfortunately or fortunately, they don't look like the rest of us. Wouldn't it be nice to see people in the fashion ads that had bald heads and beer bellies and used a cane or wheelchair to get around? People might not look like Miss America, but on the inside, they have the patina of a building that has been around for a while and have acquired a big heart and much wisdom that has lit up the lives of many.
Sadly, some mourn their aging. They look at how they aren't as they were, not at what they are. Some attempt to change their exterior rather than paying attention to the beauty of their interior. They are looking in the wrong mirror. Hopefully they will figure it out before it is too late.
—Kim Mosley
++++++++++
I saw a photo of me 60 years ago. “What a cute kid,” I thought. Then I remembered how I thought of myself then and was surprised at how different that was to how I think of myself now.
There is a Buddhist meditation where we scan our innards (see: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel271.html). The idea is to not get attached to our youthful stupendous looks and to just see ourselves as nothing too appetizing.
This is more in line with the Velveteen Rabbit, who has developed her charm and grace over many years. She is no longer our prom queen. The beauty she now maintains is far deeper and more substantial.
In Europe we see buildings that are a couple of thousands of years old. Some have been maintained and others are mere skeletons of what they once were. But they all have a patina and a presence that is not seen in our modern buildings.
We are a society of the new. Models have a short life span. Unfortunately or fortunately, they don't look like the rest of us. Wouldn't it be nice to see people in the fashion ads that had bald heads and beer bellies and used a cane or wheelchair to get around? People might not look like Miss America, but on the inside, they have the patina of a building that has been around for a while and have acquired a big heart and much wisdom that has lit up the lives of many.
Sadly, some mourn their aging. They look at how they aren't as they were, not at what they are. Some attempt to change their exterior rather than paying attention to the beauty of their interior. They are looking in the wrong mirror. Hopefully they will figure it out before it is too late.
—Kim Mosley
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