Tuesday, July 03, 2007


ON THE MIND'S BACK PORCH



Some evenings, when the time and the weather are right, I love to go out on the deck, have a glass or two of wine and sit on my mind's back porch (it's a fine porch, by the time you reach my age) watch the broad sky unfold its right-now tapestries and let memories play on that high blue screen...

It's always surprising, what's showing there in spontaneity, the many things in my past that I bookmarked subconsciously in their moments – faces and events, places and emotions that turned out to be more important or magical than they then seemed - aspects I hadn't thought I noticed or remembered, even thought much of, at the time; but now that I relive them, how impressive, surprising and refreshing they are-- and how unknowingly observant I was being, even in the darkest times.

It's as though in the swift currents of the early heart I hadn't the experience to perceive all that those feelings and moments meant to me, but in some place older than myself I knew what they would mean one day, and stored them away. And now that I have time's gift, as well as the leisure in which to ponder and treasure - and sometimes regret - these distillations of a life and times, I am nourished as much by my failures as by my successes.

I suppose that is one of the many functions of the past, after all: to brighten the skies with the treasures of a lifetime, some far evenings on the mind's back porch.



5 comments:

Tabor said...

As long the bookmarks don't come up 404 as many of mine do...you should have many happy hours on that deck.

Robert Brady said...

Yes, and especially now that summer is here...

Anonymous said...

I like this a lot...

Now, as to what to do about the synaptic mosquitoes pestering me...

Robert Brady said...

Synaptic mosquito coils...

Anonymous said...

You have brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful! I am so glad I found this place of yours; to visit here, for me, is like sitting in the wood by a stream of trickling water.