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PORTRAIT OF A FRIEND
Sunday Jan. 25, 2015
Life has surrounded you.
Or has death?
You can circle your wagons.
On which side of that circle should you dig in, where to stand to fight for life?
Hard to paint its picture.
Paint is stirred, but paintings do our stirring.
Imagine fruit bowls.
Just fruit?
Or portraits of courage?
Life’s calm or chaos – chasm between, it’s still … life.
Get out brushes, start painting.
Is yours still life or action portrait?
Soup I can stir, change. Might taste the same tomorrow, or better.
Or not.
I’ve been reading about ‘right to die’ movements afoot in jurisdictions where turmoil abounds, legal/medical ethicists vis-à-vis inevitable politicians, lawyers and poll-takers.
Which way is this wind blowing?
I don’t quarrel with those who want their right to die.
My mind sends me in a different direction today, cherishing right to live.
Not where does life start?
Not abortion rights.
About life for those who simply want to live but through tragic circumstance see their young lives cut short.
In hobbies, artistic pursuits – measure of meaning that we are consumed by it, engaged to exclusion of everything else.
Life, still, should be like that.
We are flame, we are burning fuel, consumed by ourselves – risking our flame be snuffed by pesky little tragedies like war, disease, accident or despair.
Life still, choice for most.
We take for granted most – our default position is to simply breathe, walk around, eat and sleep – and many would call that life.
Is it living?
Except for those who have no choice – they die and can do nothing to stop it, or they live and can do nothing to stop it.
Mark Kolke
column written/ published from Calgary, AB
morning walk: 9C/48F, clear and mild light breeze, another big-melt day unfolds but Gusta and I had challenges with lots of ice to navigate and sirens roaring by so it wasn’t such a calm easy stroll, but the day ahead promises so much sunshine …
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