Curiosity Killed the Cat…

But it gives us the chance to live beyond the line of sight.

As many of these entries, the title and possible subsequent content were spurred, in time, by something said or read. I say “possible” subsequent content because whenever I sit at this keyboard, it seems that a direction of its own is taken by the written stuff… Me thinks that we will go north with any given piece and end up somewhere near Patagonia…

There is, in my humble opinion, no better fuel for the imagination than curiosity. Or… is it perhaps the other way around? ... No matter in which direction this may go, it sparks flights of fancy and also flights of despair and possible disaster. But … What If? With this short question, my mind looks at something and begins to see it differently, spinning it on its own axis and looking through whatever matter is there, allowing me to see the all the way to its core, or even beyond.

While someone else who is next to me and looking at the same object is only seeing a tree … I see life, green foliage in different tones, water, shade for many, oxygen which seeps out from its limbs and leaves, allowing us to breathe better… I see a host of creatures, big and small, that depend on it for survival. And even when that tree may have arrived at its living end at some point in the distant future, I see that it may provide shelter for others who seek it, giving life beyond its own.

What wonderful thing is, this imagination and this curiosity … As far back as we have records of modern man, we can see it at work: from Michelangelo to Verne to Asimov and Tolkien and to so many others who simply let it take flight and carry them away… into those realms where we lesser folk fear to tread. We follow them there through their work and simply... become in awe at the might of it... I believe imagination feeds that other -as seen by some- evil, curiosity. We must be curious; we must remain curious beyond our childhood and not be afraid to let that great and wonderful mystery of curiosity guide us.

As we get older and rub elbows with “learned” and “down to earth”: folks our wonderment, curiosity and imagination seem to suffer. We are told that these traits are children traits and we, as young adults, should learn to leave them behind. Bah, Humbug!!! says I… Ok, Ok… somebody said it before but I will expropriate it for this purpose. In love and war… and all that … well, you know how that goes…

I believe that the day we lose our imagination and our wonderment at life’s little details, we cease to exist; at least emotionally … and perhaps spiritually as well. For it is said that wonderment at life is one of those candles which when kept burning, show us the way to our inner reality and this, brings us closer to our Creator. As a child I had plenty of imaginary friends, and they accompanied me on a day to day basis. As I grew up, some disappeared but others came bounding in to take their place… then, life’s reality checks came in and my life was torn asunder, as was that of innumerable thousands of children before and since.

For a while, I have to admit, that imagination lost ground to new demands on my mind and thoughts; I was being forced to “grow up” long before I was truly ready to do so. My life long friends and companions, Mr. Curiosity and Mr. Imagination took a reluctant back seat, but never quite abandoned ship. Thank God for this!!!  They somehow knew things would eventually straighten out enough for me to welcome them back into my daily routine.

I have to admit it has taken more years than I would have thought possible, but it is to be admitted here that some of the issues that came into my life during the last 16 years or so, those of a more dark nature, would have taken a much larger toll on yours truly had it not been for these dear and trusted friends who never really abandoned me. In the more difficult moments, they allowed me to look ahead and see better times, times of more light and happiness and allowed me to understand that those moments others might have thought of as terrible, were nothing but a proving and strengthening ground so that the fuller moments, when they came, would be more appreciated and better understood.

Today those dear, dear friends are well and living within my heart and mind again… well ensconced into their lairs. From which I hope they never leave. They do many things for me … things that a sensible person might think nonsensical … They allow me to look and see, with my mind’s eye, those who are no longer physically with me but who I simply know are always nearby, in spirit. For, you see… when the body goes to its rest, the spirit goes to work… they depend on our curiosity and imagination to keep them alive…

At times, my friends help me enjoy a last ray of light as the sun dips into the horizon, as well as the darkness of the night as it slowly creeps throughout my world after the light goes… they allow me to feel and hear the breeze as it whistles past me… perhaps through me... they help me look beyond what we physically see and experience what might be, just beyond my reach. And always those questions pop into my mind…

What is?... What might be? … What if?

Be Well … Be Back!!!

Final Notes:

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