Sunday, April 28, 2013

Friend Bids Farewell To White Rock

MY WALKING buddy, friend and neighbour is returning to Newfoundland after living in and around the White Rock area for many years.

I thought it would be nice for us to take a stroll along the pier before she travels back to the eastern province.

We were surprised to find the pier was closed that day for upgrades.

While the crew assigned to the task were hard at work others were relaxing and enjoying the rain-free day.

We wondered how one mom managed to wheel her child's stroller onto the spongy beach floor.

Luckily there is always something to explore near the shore. The tulips carefully planted by city gardeners were ablaze with color.

A familiar statue called Metamorphosis by Joan Miriam Adams made us ponder. The 1989 work shows a woman transforming into a bird. Chiseled from an 8-foot block of granite it needed a second and third look to fully appreciate.

It seems that physically morphing into a bird can be as tricky as it is to grow wings from a symbolic point of view. The lovely bend of her head gave my neck a twitch the way it tends to do whenever I see it.

The clock overlooking the pier seemed to say that the time to share outings with my friend was running out but fond memories would remain.

As she gazed into the distance I wondered if her mind was already on the Atlantic coast, thousands of miles from the Pacific coast, on the eastern shore.

Born in Newfoundland her journey is winding back near to where she started much like in the labyrinth I wrote about in an earlier post ... no doubt wiser now and with a wealth of experience to draw upon from the sea to sea.

The statue of a transforming woman, my friend returning to the land of her birth and the circular patterns of the labyrinth and clock all brought to mind words by Nelson Mandela, "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Why Is Skipping Down The Lane Just For Kids

WHAT IS WRONG with grownups skipping down the road the way these cute kids did at Crescent Beach recently? When did it stop being okay?

I am allowed to jog, run and walk briskly but if I started to leap ahead bouncing on one foot and then the other I would likely get some strange reactions.

When my daughter was small I had the freedom to skip because I could pretend it was she and not me who wanted to travel this way down the road. Now she is all grown up I need to borrow a kid in order to skip. Otherwise, people would think I have lost my mind.

Although the stretching and hopping motions are natural and helpful to the development of growing children, I am tempted to try it as an adult ... perhaps when no one is looking. Life feels lighter when the body is buoyant and when skipping with complete abandon it is impossible not to smile.


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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms