Lensdiary

Weary and hung over with sacramental wine, I was in communion with friends celebrating my birthday, and not expecting “pinch, punch, the first day of the month“ as I entered the kitchen for a glass of water.

Susie, my sister, didn’t hold back giving me a nasty pinch and a resounding thump, followed by, “ Oh, and happy birthday bruv”.

Still drugged by sleep, I had forgotten, November 1, my birthday, born on All Saints Day, which had instilled in me a certain expectation of showering kindness and forgiveness on all family members.

Except November 1 is bang in the middle of the Scorpio sign which has instilled in me the need to exact revenge on any perceived injustice or harm to my person.

I like to refer to myself as the Scorpio Saint which has led to constant internal conflicts within my psyche in wanting to do the right thing but failing on numerous occasions.

So after consuming the water in large gulps I eagerly refilled the glass pouring it over my sister’s head, baptizing her in recognition of The Feast of All Saints and at the same time imploring God for repentance for my sins.

Reena’s xploration challenge #439, a photo image.

Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Etz Hada’at Tov v’ra) and were cast out of the lush, fertile place of Eden. They had a free choice, to obey God and live in harmony with nature or to disobey God and accept the consequences. God cast them out to prevent access to the Tree of Life ( Etz HaChayim), fearing what man could accomplish with immortality. Thus occurred the fall of man introducing death, sin, and separation from God. Before Eve left she plucked an apple from The Tree of Life.

Adam and Eve retired to a mountain retreat preserving the apples from both the Tree of Life and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and planted the seeds in their garden. The trees took fruit over generations and preserved their powers waiting for a hero to come and claim their destiny. . Whoever ate of their fruit would obtain immortality, knowledge and power beyond their understanding.

Excalibur sits at the bottom of a lake in England, or perhaps buried in a stone, waiting to be discovered by a hero who will restore Englands place in the world as a beacon of enlightenment.

The Holy Grail sits forgotten in some ancient, run down ruin, awaiting for a hero to discover it and bring spiritual enlightenment to the world.

There’s an apple tree sitting on a high mountain, next to a small house, waiting for a hero to appear to taste its fruit and in doing so change the course of the human race.

We are all awaiting for a hero to emerge and forge a new path forward for humanity.

At the appointed time Mother Nature, in her corporal form, visited Herb and Rosemary, to claim their son Rock for herself, as was promised sixteen years ago. After a tearful parting with his parents Rock followed Mother Nature into the unknown, wondering how his future was destined to unfold. They travelled for three weeks living off the fruits of the land until they arrived at the edge of a dense forest. Mother Nature turned to Rock and commanded him to enter the forest alone and she would return for him in three year’s time.

Rock was intimidated by the prospect of entering these ancient woods, he had lived a carefree life, in the open air, under the sun, tending his parents garden and vegetable patches. This was a different side of the nature he was used to. He steeled himself and stepped tentatively into the forest. The air immediately changed becoming thick and damp, heavy with the scent of wet earth. He felt the forests indifference as he staggered through decaying leaves, moss and broken branches. After walking for half an hour he became disoriented, and overcome with a sense of isolation sat down and wept.

Rock became aware of the light beginning to fade and his survival instinct kicked in. His first thought was of shelter so he collected branches and built a lean to against an overhanging rock, placing leaves and pine needles inside for insulation. Satisfied with his accomplishment he passed out, oblivious to the forest and its inherent danger.

Time passed with Rock picking up new skills, maneuvering a fire drill to make fire, mapping out sources of water from the fast flowing forest streams, identifying food sources, as edible berries, nuts, dandelions, insects and grubs supplemented with fish from the streams. He initiated a daily routine of exploration, and soon became familiar with the forest and its inhabitants. He came to love the forest, the solitude, the peacefulness, the harmony, he built an altar to Gaia and meditated daily on the wonders of nature. He came to understand that the Forest was a dynamic, self sustaining system where life and environment are inseparable and often pondered where the human element entered the equation.

After three years Mother Nature returned and she and Rock continued on their journey.

You know, being on WordPress has really helped me with my story writing, one day soon I’m going to write the greatest story ever told.

I’m sorry to burst your balloon but isn’t that already done, the bible, and a movie as well.

You are so ignorant, for a start it’s burst your bubble, not balloon, at least get a handle on your idioms.

At the risk of dashing your hopes, a few simple stories on WordPress doesn’t make you the next J.K. Rowling.

As Yeats so beautifully wrote, but I being poor have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Dear little sister, you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill, I am just trying to explain the reality of a writer, there are millions of you, all vying for the greatest story ever told.

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Some people call it coincidence, I like to call it the hidden hand of God shaping and moulding our lives, such was the case when my job was terminated four months after the triplets were born.

My daughter birthed triplets, two girls and a boy, three months premature, weighing 2 lbs each, immediately placed in incubators, enjoying the hospitality of the hospital for a further ten weeks.

My daughter also had a 15 month old son, and a family debate issued around finances, whether my daughter could return to work, she’s a teacher, and afford to pay for day care for four toddlers.

Four months after the triplets were born I was terminated from the company I had worked at for 30 years, and my daughter asked if my wife and I would be willing to look after our four grandchildren because she couldn’t afford to quit her job and could not afford daycare.

After a lengthy discussion my wife and I agreed and eventually ended up looking after them 11 hours a day for 13 years, including a fifth child born five years later.

There are many stories I could tell of those 13 years, but one in particular stands out when I took them to a park and we were caught in a summer storm with thunder and lightning crashing down around us while we were perched under the slide for shelter, enduring the onslaught for ten minutes, with eight tiny hands gripping my legs and screaming at the top of their lungs, we were soaked, but we survived.

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

In the confessional with Father O’Dwyer, Saturday, 5:00 p.m. his weekly ritual.

“ Bless me father for I have sinned in thought, word and deed. It has been one week since my last confession”.

Please continue my son.

“ In my thoughts I have sinned with my best friend’s wife. I know she likes me because of the way she looks at me, her knowing glances, her attentiveness to my words, and I have sexual fantasies which I deeply regret”.

Please continue my son.

“ In my words I regret my responses on social media. But users are so pathetic in their attempt to justify their state of being that I can’t hold back in condemning them”.

Please continue my son

“ In my deeds I don’t do enough to call out the injustices of this world because it may affect my status and hurt my lifestyle”.

I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For your penance say three decades of the rosary. Go in peace my son to love and revere the Lord.

Feeling refreshed and high in spirit he drove his car towards home and entered the highway. Here was that difficult merge, he sped up to pass the car driving parallel to him, but the other car also sped up and passed him as he was trying to merge. Enraged he swerved to the left and cut in front of the car. He braked and watched in satisfaction as the car behind him adjusted accordingly. He sped up and braked again, and again, and again. Stupid bloody, drivers they need to be taught a lesson in courtesy on the road.

He remembered his wife had asked him to pick up diapers for their new born. Pulling into the pharmacy he searched for a parking spot. The parking lot was crowded but he managed to squeeze his car into a tight space. Upon returning from his errand a livid woman was cursing him for parking so close to her car that she could not open her door. He ranted at her for not parking equally between the yellow parking lines and what else did she expect for her thoughtlessness.

Upon returning home he deposited the diapers in the bathroom and proceeded to the fridge for a beer. His wife, the mother of six children, greeted him in the kitchen. “ I really need your help, the kids have been a handful all day, I just need a minute to myself”. He replied “ What about me, I’ve had a rough week at work, I know my boss hates me, and is angling to get me fired. I’m trying to put food on the table for you and the kids. I need my downtime too.”

He took his beer to the garage for peace and quiet and to get away from the family.

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

So after three years from WordPress I decided to rejoin. My first week’s activities.

1. I managed to write two blogs.
2. I feel like I’m in two separate universes as my site, home page etc, bears absolutely no relationship to my actual blog site. In order to see what is going on I have to act like a subscriber and go on a search engine to log in to my blog.
3. I wrote for girlieontheedge six sentence story but could not upload my blog to the inlinkz site. For some reason it would just upload my photo library but not the actual blog I had written
4. When I received emails from the blogs I follow I had to keep typing my blog address in order to comment.
5. I tried to leave a comment on one site, but it would not accept the comment.
6. I went on a site which I liked and tried to follow but could not find a follow button.
7. The first few days were very frustrating because whenever I tried to comment or change my page I was told my domain was suspended because I had not received verification from ICANN. I contacted WordPress and they said I was verified, but eventually they sorted it out for me.
8. I tried to contact the WordPress help page a number of times but a green x would turn up after I input my question and not allow me to push the response button.
9. WordPress sent me a questionnaire to complete which I did extensively, and then answered with, “this is helpful for future updates to the system”. Not directly addressing my problems.
10. Three years ago when I was on this system I had none of these problems. So what has changed. Is the system getting worse or am I getting senile. Only time will tell.

Discussion at the dinner table between a teenage daughter and her mother.

Was that your brilliant plan to save the planet, spraying your art teacher with green paint.

For your information, my brilliant plan was not to save the planet but to erase white privilege and its patriarchal hold on society.

Well, for your age you showed a distinct lack of maturity and what kind of example does that set for the family.

After being held down so long by your father with his dominating ways and criticism of everything I tried to do, I’m revelling in my freedom.

That’s okay, mom, but I think you need a break from social media.