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THERE MIGHT BE ELEPHANTS

Wednesday Apr. 1, 2015


One of those days we yearn for on dreary wintery nights, escape-time from requirements, obligations. Empty mind, empty responsibility day …

Still:

At least one client says, “where is that report you promised?”

At least one colleague wonders, “why didn’t he call .. he always calls on Monday?”

At least one stranger wonders, why did he drive by?\At least one reader wonders if this some April 1st prank.\“Quick, come look!. There are elephants in the driveway …” Children run. They see no elephants. Some dad says “April fool!”

Next year, they’ll run to look, again – half-way down that hallway they remember they’ve been tricked this way before. Still, they’ll look – because there might be elephants.

Sometimes we need to see whole herds of elephants.

Or at least one.

Time is too valuable to waste on foolishness, laughter and walking in sunshine.

It isn’t healthy or wise to see those elephants.

Why not?

Don’t we all want one of those?

Need one.

When so little of yesterday or tomorrow is attached – no schedule, no place to be, no expectations of anyone – and nobody has expectations of us?

Just a ‘see elephants’ day.

Look.

You can see them if you try.

No foolin’.

Imagine children laughing … wondering, how elephants could find their way to a wintery driveway at our house, how dad could implant those images in their minds – laughing at the joke, laughing at being little April fools, laughing at having their little minds tricked and amused so easily, so quickly, by power of suggestion.

Trick yourself. Trick children and old-farts with laughter and imagination.

Words have power.

Elephant power. 

 

Mark Kolke

column written/ published from  Paia, Maui, HI

morning walk:  18C/64F(headed to 80F+), light breeze – not a cloud in any direction, a perfect day in paradise (no foolin’), the treats of Moana bakery beckoned as I walked the lengths of Baldwin Avenue, where old plantation era buildings and cannery are the infrastructure of trendy tourist-town a century later – I can see the pineapple plantation workers, I can horse drawn wagons and busy ant-like activity of so many people .. and off, in the distance, I think I see elephants … 

Reader feedback:

STEP INTO IT

I loved your blog today. Powerful. Insightful and true. Nice post. Love the serenity I feel in your words and the conviction. Inspires me too!,Hugs, LG, Calgary, AB


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