Floating Stones - Sinking Dreams...

"I am tired of explaining my life to every little ant that passes by..."

That's a line I cracked the other day -- and I fell in love with it... I know, I know, it's a bit self-obsessive -- much like framing your own pictures... But, it says what I wanted to say, I guess.

Lately I've been reminiscing this Looney Toons (Tunes?) episode -- except for, this time, it seems to have a whole other meaning. It's the one where there is a stampede. Bugs Bunny comes out of his little burrow, and notices all the animals running past him. He tries to inquire, but before he can even start a sentence, the animal is gone...

He stands in the heart of the rush, unaware of where everyone is headed. As all the animals disappear, he stands alone, wondering what's going on. He eventually catches up to a Turtle, who is trying to keep up with the crowd, of course, and learns what's going on...

"Technology is moving too fast, and I am still a Turtle..." Sufi said that once, as she tried to operate a cash register...

I've been feeling like the Bugs Bunny from that episode though. Standing in the middle of a speeding crowd... And, if I do eventually decide to move with them (which, I am on the edge of doing), I'll end up like that Turtle...

No, this is not a post about resistance to change. It's a post about becoming what everyone else has become... And yet, you'll never 'really' fit-in... (Osho's Zen Tarot comes to mind).

We all dream -- pure dreams. And then, down the line, we have to modify them to fit everything else around us. From imaginative colours to techni-colour, to east-man prints... Somehow, the quality of the dream always seems to fade and dry-out as we 'mature'.

With everything 'important' on my head, I decided to go to the beach today. My headphones, the sun setting, and the invisible walls of silence around me -- I appreciate that. It's not an exercise where I am trying to think things through... I am just trying to be.

Not too far from where I sat, I noticed a boy throwing stones in the sea. I could see where the pleasure was hidden. Many people had passed the exact same spot as him, but they were too busy trying to collect something precious. They were picking up each shell and stone and judging it. The colour, the shape, the curve... They'd keep the best ones in their pocket, and leave...

And here was this boy. He just picked whatever his hand reached, and flinged it carelessly in the air. He later started creating structures with the wet sand. Once the master-piece was complete, he'd pick it up and throw that too...

I've titled the picture "floating stones - sinking dreams" after much thought (and a bit of a push from Asha). The sketch beside it is titled "Dreams Fade" based on a song by "The Thrills"

Now, like a flame, dancing in the wind, just before it's about to die out... I end this here.

"The only wedding you really need to attend is your own."
- Sushil Kumar