Tree Climbing

On Memorial Day, after an afternoon family bike ride, my son and I enjoyed climbing a tree in our yard. I loved tree-climbing as a child.

One childhood tree-climbing adventure wasn't quite as exciting as other times, though. I'll never forget the day I was outside playing with my cousins and friend, Claudelle, when we noticed Thaw on the loose in the distance. Thaw, a huge dog that seemed to be the size of a pony back then, lived nearby. As everyone scrambled to get inside the house when we noticed Thaw was running our way -- unleashed -- I decided I wasn't going to chance not making it inside before Thaw reached us. Therefore, I darted up a nearby tree. As Claudelle ran to catch up the others for indoors safety, I told her to let my parents know where I had found my refuge -- in a tree!

Tonight, I just so happened to flip open the book Poetry Speaks to Children and landed on this poem:

Every Time I Climb A Tree

by David McCord

One verse reads:

...And every time I climb a tree
Where have you been?
They say to me
But don't they know that I am free
Every time I climb a tree?

In Freedom,

Penny

Great Philosophers

I recently checked out the book Socrates from the children's section of the library to read with my son. Oh, how I enjoy this book and respect the words from the great Greek philosopher himself, as told in this book by Pierre Moessinger!

Socrates said: "If I had not become a philosopher, my soul would have been as ugly as my face. My desires would have been as deformed as my nose."

Pause. Just take a moment to think about what this means!

This children's book (great for adults, too) is a result of Socrates' letter to his sons in which he told them:

"...life is short, time must be spent on what is worthwhile."

"...true wisdom is in the soul, which is infinitely superior to the body."

"Truth doesn't exist without pain."

Now, one thing he said that I beg to disagree with is: "You can't write and live."

I say....

Live and Write about what you lived, if, like me, you love to write. I find writing an opportunity to relive that lived experience.

While I am fond of Socrates -- I want my son to know that there were many philosophers, Egyptian Philosphers, before Socrates' time. With that thought in mind, I came upon The Egyptian Philosophers: Ancient African Voices from Imhotep to Akhenaten.

The Synopsis reads:

"Traditional Eurocentric thought assumes that Greece was the origin of civilization. This book dispels this and other myths by showing that there is a body of knowledge that preceded Greek philosophy. The author documents how the great pyramids were built in 2800 B.C., 2,100 years before Greek civilization. The popular myth of Hippocrates being the father of medicine is dispelled by the fact that Hippocrates studied the works of Imhotep, the true father of medicine, and mentioned his name in his Hippocratic oath. Eleven famous African scholars who preceded Greek philosophers are profiled: Ptahhotep, Kagemni, Duauf, Amenhotep, Amenemope, Imhotep, Amenemhat, Merikare, Sehotepibre, Khunanup, and Akhenaten. These scholar's ideas on a variety of topics are discussed, including the emergence of science and reason, the moral order, books and education, and the clash of classes."

Happy Reading!

Penny

Mountain Preparation

In about a month, my son and I will be embarking upon our mom-and-son mountain trip. For quite a while I've longed to visit the mountains, so when a friend suggested (without knowing about my mountain desire) that we take a summer trip with our sons to the mountains, I couldn't have been happier.

I look forward to the adventure that awaits us, and my prayer is that we'll have a safe and enjoyable time and feel so close to God and nature that we completely feel the bliss of each day. I will be documenting this experience in the July issue of Pear Magazine, an organic lifestyles magazine I edit.

Today, the day before Memorial Day, I've been putting thought into how cleansed I want to feel at the start of this upcoming trip. Then, the trip itself will hopefully take my mind, body and spirit to an even deeper form of cleansing and renewal. A few hours ago, I made a Kale/Apple/Lemon juice and wondered if I should do a juice and green smoothie fast leading up to the trip. My heart is just telling me to do some form of a mind-body-spirit cleanse before our departure.

My friend, Melissa, is currently on a two-month fresh juice fast. Perhaps I need to team-up with her for a portion of her fast. This can be quite empowering and inspiring when done as a team. Plus, Melissa naturally inspires me anyway, so I can only imagine what I can gain from her during this next month. I believe the support can be invaluable.

I'm praying and pondering.

Stay tuned!

By the way, perhaps I'll try to redeem myself with this dormant blog (until now) by posting every day for the next month. We'll see! :-) My friend, Linda, likes to keep up with the happenings in my life......so, Linda, I'll try to keep this blog more active, okay? :-)

In Health,

Penny