6-17-10, Thursday

I have been thinking more about what this blog could be about. It will be something a bit different from what I do with the weekly letters. In some ways, those letters are more timely and contemporary and this is a place where I can be more philosophical (oh, no, you say). Starting this blog, at Han's urging, comes at a time in my life when communicating with all of you has taken on new meanings for me. After all, I am not a spring chicken any more and I have become more aware of the need to send out whatever messages I can while I am able. No one of us knows what the future holds and how we will be bent or tested by all of life's vicissitudes (one of George Gelernter's favorite words). This holds true for any one of us at any age, of course, but more so as we pile up the years.

This blog is begun at a time when I have discovered new territories for exploration. These territories are not unknown to me because I have known about them for a long time. I have been reading about religions and about Buddhism for decades, but the details always seemed pretty academic. Now I have reasons to make them real in my life in ways that find expression nearly every day. In a metaphorical sense, I have found some new voices with which to express myself. There is something very exciting about this prospect and I wish the same excitement with new discoveries for each of you reading this. As I have thought about why "metaphorical" seemed a perfect part of the blog title, it occurred to me that the blog, itself, is a metaphor for this new part of my life. I doubt I would ever have begun a blog of this type several years ago without the opportunity to see my life differently, as is the case in this chaplaincy program. Sometimes, all it takes is a shift in mindset to bring new ideas into better focus. I think metaphors help us do this. Metaphors allow us to see our lives poetically and majestically. They allow us to turn weeding into caretaking for the earth. They are how our hearts can express who we are and how we feel about others. They contain the meanings we can't express any other way. They enrich our lives and help us reach into the lives of others in deeper ways. Metaphors allow us to relate more meaningfully and lovingly in this world full of the truth of pain and suffering. Sometimes metaphors are the only things that allow us to bear the darkest and most vicious things. I love metaphors.

So, I think I am beginning to see what this could be and will try to expand how I use it. Don't be surprised at what happens. Stay tuned.