The Bending of Their Minds

Marie King ©

Climbing a mountain... it's a deeply personal and spiritual experience– to be confronted with the capabilities of your body in such a measurable way. To reach the tallest height and to know that it was your own two feet that got you there, to feel the sweat drip down your back in tribute to your achievement, and the heavy rhythm of your lungs fueling your body with pride.

When I finally made it to the top of this mountain, I sat down in utter exhaustion and wrote the following on a small scrap of paper which I just recently found (and thus triggered my writing of this post):

It was on the backs of men that this world was built 

and it was the bending of their minds from which beauty was to be born.

I miss the mountains with such a depth as some people long for their home.

I've never felt so bound by money as I do now, when I have none and can go nowhere but the longer I am trapped, the more certain I know I can't live without these sleeping giants in my life.

Soon my loves, 
MK

I think I first stumbled upon this song in a Norwegian commercial...
I can't quit it.
Maybe you won't be able to either.

Seaside, Seashore

on the shore
the soft, sweet shore
rest a boat. exhausted,
ravished by the sea it tried to tame.
perhaps the end was beautiful

perhaps the sea swallowed her whole
and when she expired
spit her onto the shores
to rest aside her love
forever


Always yours,
MK

Newton's 3rd

Life is one big contradiction, compiled of a billion little contradictions: live with passion, savor the moment; love fervently, trust carefully; be one with nature, embrace technology; celebrate our diversity, ignore our differences; etc, etc, etc.

I find it hard to determine my priorities in this mess of choices. Nothing is black and white, everything good comes with something equally bad- positives and negatives always seeking to balance each other out. That is nature- that is the human race. To be alive is to be pulled in every which direction.

I started my college years as an International Studies major and every course I took demonized globalization- providing example after example of the adverse affects it was having on various nations and cultures. It was horrifying to say the least. And yet, even with this knowledge, I can't help but feel lucky to live in a world where I could meet and become dear friends with people from all over the world. How lovely it was to sit in a class with Germans, Koreans, and South Africans and learn about their perspective. How fortunate I am to be able to read French literature, study German architecture, watch Bollywood movies, and eat Thai food. Newton's third law doesn't apply to physics alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Globalization is both a curse and a blessing. Technology is both liberating and binding. Love is both joy and pain.

I love collecting quotes and there are a million wonderful, eloquent phrases in support of all these opposite philosophies of life- which is what set me off on this tonight- but perhaps the best way to understand and carry on is by finding solace in the old truism- you can't know joy without knowing sorrow. Something can only be understood in context of what it isn't.

Life is about finding balance. It is meant to tear you apart, so that you can put yourself back together with the full knowledge of both who you are and who you choose not to be. 

With all my joy, 

MK

Reader's Block

Lost in the clouds,
MK

Looking At Me, Looking At You

“It is when you lose sight of yourself, that you lose your way. To keep your truth in sight you must keep yourself in sight and the world to you should be a mirror to reflect to you your image; the world should be a mirror that you reflect upon.” 

― C. JoyBell C. ―

A doodle bug is running rampant. I wish it would take hold of me and never let go, but alas, like all bugs, this shall pass.

Cheers to crafty fevers and artsy agitations!

Always yours,

MK

Holes in My Consciousness

“One thousand brilliant stars punched holes in my consciousness, pricking me with longing. I could stare at the stars for hours, their infinite number and depth pulling me into a part of myself that I ignored during the day.” 

—Maggie Stiefvater—

The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is infecting the world once again and I can't help but smile. 

Cheers to you and yours! 

MK

Enchanted

Happy dreaming, 

MK