(1) I saw this first sign on my way up to Calton Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, where philosopher David Hume is buried. He advised taking a daily walk for health. It’s quite a hill! In faint blue paint are the words, “Do the birds wonder” above the question, “Why me?” This can be an arrogant, self-centered, or misplaced question; however, asking why something is important or why it is happening to us, can also be a valuable starting point for
reflection.
I climbed the hill where I tried to watch a full eclipse of the moon, but it was cloudy, and I only got a little glimpse. I could have asked “why me?” But clouds have little to do with me,
highlighting the absurdity of the question. Hume wouldn’t have cared for the question either, based on his philosophy of a non-unified self. He might
have been more likely to ask, “Which me?” To me, that makes the placement of the question all the more hilarious.
(2) Another rainbow. This one on the train from Edinburgh to Durham, England. Hope, PRIDE, and promise – even on a speeding
train.
(3) A door handle to Durham Cathedral, the massive structure that honors Saint Cuthbert and holds the bones of the Honorable Bede as well. It was built between 1093 and 1133. Forty years was
astonishingly fast. This figure reminds me of the “green man” because of the leaves coming from his mouth, a symbol of rebirth. I learned in seminary these figures were common on churches, cathedrals, and other buildings of the middle ages. It also appears in earlier and later eras. And this one may be something else altogether. But I like it. What's on your list of likable
things?
(4) A ‘postcard’ on the beach wall out my window while I'm in my personal writing retreat this weekend. It says, “Weather is here. Wish you were nice.” It made me laugh. Chris Topp is the designer of multiple “postcards” along the boardwalk in Redcar, England on the coast of the North Sea. The town has suffered the closing of steel plants and is in a bit of recovery, but I’ve had a
lovely time here – more on that in my next post card.
(5) This wonky-eyed, top-hat-wearing cat was staring down at me from a sign in Edinburgh. Also made me giggle.
(6) Feathers and rocks on the beach at Redcar. I love the idea of “following the path of the feather.” It has delighted me for years. What little signs delight you?
(7) The “Royal National Institute of Blind People” is celebrating
200 years of BRAILLE. This honorary garden of flowers and a bird box is at the edge of the Castle gardens in Edinburgh. Braille is on many packages we encountered while in the UK. When I told all this to a friend who learned and still reads Braille, it made her day to hear about Braille being celebrated. What's making your day?
(8) The “Clown Bar” was seen backstage at “Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus
Spectacular,” which wowed us with acrobatics, lights, dancing, and singing in a very lively performance while we were in London. Has anything wowed you lately?
(9) The “At any time” sign just seemed so random. When you look closer, you see the do not enter sign, and it makes a little more sense. But when I saw it I thought about how the headlines and startling news seems to all happen unpredictably and “at any time.” But I’m also reminded that love, grace, laughter and joy can also strike “at any time.” Watch for it!
(10) The “Fearless” Collective mural and the PRIDE street paint are in Glasgow, Scotland. We were in search of breakfast, and we also found this amazing art along the way. The artists who created and installed the mural in 2021 offered it as an act in support of climate justice. They say, “The location of the mural is symbolic as it lies right in the heart of Merchant City, an area built on
the money of colonial merchants and slave-owners. Wilson Street specifically is named after George Wilson, a huge tobacco merchant in Glasgow. As one indigenous leader remarked: ‘The mural shows how we were never colonised and continue to refuse to be’.” How are you letting your creative energy mark the world with signs of hope, life, and change?
