Sampler Platter

There is a lot going on in my life these days - and a lot going on in my mind - so much that I've had a hard time writing a lot about any one thing. I want to write, so I decided to just write a LITTLE about several ideas.

Zen and the Art of Guitar Tuning

I am currently reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance , a longtime favorite of mine by Robert M. Pirsig. Besides being a thought-provoking exploration of reality and Quality, it's an engrossing "road story" of a man, his son, and the ghost of his past. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already, or reading it again if you have.

This book definitely makes me think about how Quality applies to my life. The other day I worked on one of my guitars, illustrating both sides of the classical/romantic divide cut by Phaedrus' knife. I adjusted the neck of my little travel guitar so that it would play better in tune, and with a lighter "action" (action refers to the distance of the strings from the fingerboard and frets - the higher they are, the more force is required to push them down, hence "heavy" action).

From the "classical" or "square" standpoint, I knew the guitar's neck was out of adjustment, and that by changing the underlying form, I would bring it back into alignment and harmony (pun intended). From the "romantic" or "hip" standpoint, I knew that the guitar did not sound good, and something needed to change to correct this unpleasant external reality and restore harmony. From both the classical and romantic viewpoints, tightening the neck rod and putting on new strings improved the Quality of the instrument - now it's properly adjusted (classical underlying form) and sounds great (romantic external reality)!

Life and Death in Small Places

Spring is the season of rebirth and change, and we've had plenty of that around our house. Unfortunately, we've also had some losses.

Our daughter is very enamored with butterflies, so we ordered some Painted Lady caterpillars to watch their metamorphosis. We watched their growth and eating with great interest, and by about two weeks ago all four had climbed up to the top of the enclosure and became chrysalids. Earlier this week, two of them had emerged - of course while we weren't looking! It was a lot of fun to set these beautiful creatures fly and be free - although not without some tears from a little girl who wanted to keep one as a pet.

Our son also loves nature and critters, but his desires run to mantids and tadpoles. That is why we now have a container of praying mantis egg cases - a total of almost 300 eggs - in the fridge. We are currently negotiating how they are going to be "raised" and whether any of them will remain with us once they've hatched.

He also had about 12 tadpoles (adopted during a camping trip last month, described here), but unfortunately they are no longer with us. He was very diligent about feeding his little friends, but unfortunately we didn't get around to changing their water until it was too late. It is a grim example of how a community can choke on its own waste, and a devastating loss to our young naturalist. His anguished tears of loss and guilt cut to the core of my being and nearly broke my heart. Fortunately kids are resilient, and after a good night's sleep he was able to look forward to next spring, and the next batch of our tadpole friends.

Perfection in Pajamas

I love watching my kids while they are sleeping - that's why waking them up in the morning is one of the best parts of my day. I see their angelic, perfect little faces, relaxed and composed in peaceful slumber. I see their bodies - sometimes wrapped in blankets, sometimes stretched long, sometimes with feet on the pillow - so quiet and still for the last time today until sleep comes again.

This is the mental image I strive to maintain throughout the day - a picture of childlike perfection to overcome my frustration with whining, misbehavior, and other parental challenges.

It's easy to adore a sleeping child.