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Monday, April 25, 2005
Bumper Sticker of the Day
Friday, April 15, 2005
Divoka Sarka
As I have mentioned before, there are small parks sprinkled throughout Praha. It's very nice to be able to walk just a few blocks to find grass and trees.
But around the outside of Praha there are a few larger parks. Nice places filled with trees, paths, benches, and sunshine. Yesterday afternoon I visited the largest one, called Divoka Sarka.
Divoka Sarka, in Czech, means "Crazy Sarka." The S in Sarka has a small mark above it called a hatchek. This small mark means that the S sounds like "Sh." According to the story, a woman named Sarka ran off a cliff there. Thus, crazy Sarka.
But when I visited yesterday, I saw no good reason for anyone to run off a cliff. The sun was shining brightly on the first broad expanse of grass. It reflected back as a brilliant green. I walked down, and then up again. On one rock I found five of the largest snails I have ever seen. Their shells were at least 1 and 1/4 in. across. At the top of this second cliff craggy rocks poked their way through the lush grasses and small trees.
I found a nice place to sit on one of the sides, and contemplated the valley before me. Most of the trees were of the evergreen or pine variety. That is something that it a bit different from America to here. Most of these trees are not deciduous, but pine.
The sun was shining in my face, telling me I was looking west. Below, large swaths of grass ran between the forest. To my right, off quite a ways, some people were clambering over the rocks. They looked like mere dots of color from where I was.
Behind me lay the city, with all its noise and bustle. Seeing it, my heart was filled with love and compassion for this great city which I am living in for now. Before me lay the forest and the clearings. And both were beautiful, though each in a different way.
There, on the grassy cliffside, I napped.
Returning from my mountaintop experience, I crossed a crick running through Divoka Sarka. Just as I reached it I caught the scent of fresh streams, the cooler breath of refreshing air. I paused to enjoy it, filling my lungs with sweet stream oxygen.
Yeah, I really like Divoka Sarka. I think I'm gonna go back today.
In His Time,
But around the outside of Praha there are a few larger parks. Nice places filled with trees, paths, benches, and sunshine. Yesterday afternoon I visited the largest one, called Divoka Sarka.
Divoka Sarka, in Czech, means "Crazy Sarka." The S in Sarka has a small mark above it called a hatchek. This small mark means that the S sounds like "Sh." According to the story, a woman named Sarka ran off a cliff there. Thus, crazy Sarka.
But when I visited yesterday, I saw no good reason for anyone to run off a cliff. The sun was shining brightly on the first broad expanse of grass. It reflected back as a brilliant green. I walked down, and then up again. On one rock I found five of the largest snails I have ever seen. Their shells were at least 1 and 1/4 in. across. At the top of this second cliff craggy rocks poked their way through the lush grasses and small trees.
I found a nice place to sit on one of the sides, and contemplated the valley before me. Most of the trees were of the evergreen or pine variety. That is something that it a bit different from America to here. Most of these trees are not deciduous, but pine.
The sun was shining in my face, telling me I was looking west. Below, large swaths of grass ran between the forest. To my right, off quite a ways, some people were clambering over the rocks. They looked like mere dots of color from where I was.
Behind me lay the city, with all its noise and bustle. Seeing it, my heart was filled with love and compassion for this great city which I am living in for now. Before me lay the forest and the clearings. And both were beautiful, though each in a different way.
There, on the grassy cliffside, I napped.
Returning from my mountaintop experience, I crossed a crick running through Divoka Sarka. Just as I reached it I caught the scent of fresh streams, the cooler breath of refreshing air. I paused to enjoy it, filling my lungs with sweet stream oxygen.
Yeah, I really like Divoka Sarka. I think I'm gonna go back today.
In His Time,
Monday, April 11, 2005
Joeletter 9.1
There are two things that keep me from writing Joeletters. One is being too busy. Not having a computer at our flat, Ben and I must work out times to be on other people's computers. With all the other things that are going on here in Praha that can be difficult.
The other thing that keeps me from consistently writing Joeletters is not having anything to write about. It seems like we are either ridiculously busy, or not doing much of anything. It's quite silly.
Tonight, Monday night, Ben, Jeff, and I will attend the Ski Trip Reunion. All the people who went on the trip to Austria to ski in the Alps are getting back together. We'll see how everyone's doing now, and each get a CD with all the pictures that we took on the trip. That will be very nice. I'm looking forward to having everyone's pictures of the Alps, and of the participants.
This Saturday Jeff, Ben, Steve Cone, and myself, will drive to Taize, France. Located in the south of Burgundy, the community began in 1940. In 1949 a monastery was established out of that initial community. Today, pilgrims from all over the world flock to Taize (pronounced with the first e as in the name Ed, and the second e like a long "a". Phonetically, it's Tezaaa). It promises to be a wonderful week of introspection and discovery. These websites explain about the origin and current function of Taize.
http://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique8.html - The Community
http://www.taize.fr/en_article166.html - Beginning to Today
Part of the experience is sharing in the work. We will each be assigned jobs helping to serve all the visitors at Taize, of whom we are a part. We will also be put into discussion groups to talk over things that we've heard, been taught, or just thought about each day. I'm looking forward to the week. I've heard wonderful things from all the people who have already spent time there.
Jeff has rented a car to make the trip in, as it would be much too expensive to get to Taize otherwise. Even in a car, it will be a little expensive getting there and back again. Gas here is over five dollars a gallon. It makes the high prices back in the states seem cheap in comparison. Now, I'm not sure if I've talked about this, but we there is a big difference between American cars and European cars. American cars are HUGE! It's so funny to see cars from America over here, because they are so much bigger than what I've grown used to. Over here cars are much smaller, which helps when finding parking places in the city. Also, smaller cars equal less gas consumption.
But, here's the kicker, there will be four of us in this small Czech car. Now, four people in an American car is no problem. Even four large people. But in a Czech car there is much less space. And all four of us have spent some time in the gym here in Praha. I'm definitely the smallest one of the group. And we will be driving for a very long time. If you refer to a map, the Czech Republic and France aren't exactly next door neighbors. Yeehaw.
On the way back from Taize we will stop in Munich, Germany. We plan to spend the night at a friend's flat. Then Jeff, Steve, and Ben will return to Prague, and I will stay in Munich for a week. It's a chance to spend some time with Sandy Graham, a wonderful woman of God. One of the reasons we traveled up to Munich about a month ago was to see here. She came down to see us over Easter weekend and participated in our Easter Prayer Vigil.
But I didn't get a chance to spend much time with her either visit. Since that didn't happen she invited me up to Munich. So, immediately after Taize I will spend a week in Munich, then ride the train home. I'm looking forward to talking and praying with her.
Our time here draws swiftly to a close. I am both glad and sad. I am going to miss the time spent here, and the people that I have met. At the same time, I do miss my family. It will be good to be with them again.
It may sound a little funny to be talking like this right now, since we have about a month left before we have to leave. But with all that will be happening, I know that it's going to fly by very fast.
Well, that's all that I can think of to write to you about. I know I'll have quite a lot to write about after Taize and Munich, so take this Joeletter as the calm before the storm - sol.
In His Time,
The other thing that keeps me from consistently writing Joeletters is not having anything to write about. It seems like we are either ridiculously busy, or not doing much of anything. It's quite silly.
Tonight, Monday night, Ben, Jeff, and I will attend the Ski Trip Reunion. All the people who went on the trip to Austria to ski in the Alps are getting back together. We'll see how everyone's doing now, and each get a CD with all the pictures that we took on the trip. That will be very nice. I'm looking forward to having everyone's pictures of the Alps, and of the participants.
This Saturday Jeff, Ben, Steve Cone, and myself, will drive to Taize, France. Located in the south of Burgundy, the community began in 1940. In 1949 a monastery was established out of that initial community. Today, pilgrims from all over the world flock to Taize (pronounced with the first e as in the name Ed, and the second e like a long "a". Phonetically, it's Tezaaa). It promises to be a wonderful week of introspection and discovery. These websites explain about the origin and current function of Taize.
http://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique8.html - The Community
http://www.taize.fr/en_article166.html - Beginning to Today
Part of the experience is sharing in the work. We will each be assigned jobs helping to serve all the visitors at Taize, of whom we are a part. We will also be put into discussion groups to talk over things that we've heard, been taught, or just thought about each day. I'm looking forward to the week. I've heard wonderful things from all the people who have already spent time there.
Jeff has rented a car to make the trip in, as it would be much too expensive to get to Taize otherwise. Even in a car, it will be a little expensive getting there and back again. Gas here is over five dollars a gallon. It makes the high prices back in the states seem cheap in comparison. Now, I'm not sure if I've talked about this, but we there is a big difference between American cars and European cars. American cars are HUGE! It's so funny to see cars from America over here, because they are so much bigger than what I've grown used to. Over here cars are much smaller, which helps when finding parking places in the city. Also, smaller cars equal less gas consumption.
But, here's the kicker, there will be four of us in this small Czech car. Now, four people in an American car is no problem. Even four large people. But in a Czech car there is much less space. And all four of us have spent some time in the gym here in Praha. I'm definitely the smallest one of the group. And we will be driving for a very long time. If you refer to a map, the Czech Republic and France aren't exactly next door neighbors. Yeehaw.
On the way back from Taize we will stop in Munich, Germany. We plan to spend the night at a friend's flat. Then Jeff, Steve, and Ben will return to Prague, and I will stay in Munich for a week. It's a chance to spend some time with Sandy Graham, a wonderful woman of God. One of the reasons we traveled up to Munich about a month ago was to see here. She came down to see us over Easter weekend and participated in our Easter Prayer Vigil.
But I didn't get a chance to spend much time with her either visit. Since that didn't happen she invited me up to Munich. So, immediately after Taize I will spend a week in Munich, then ride the train home. I'm looking forward to talking and praying with her.
Our time here draws swiftly to a close. I am both glad and sad. I am going to miss the time spent here, and the people that I have met. At the same time, I do miss my family. It will be good to be with them again.
It may sound a little funny to be talking like this right now, since we have about a month left before we have to leave. But with all that will be happening, I know that it's going to fly by very fast.
Well, that's all that I can think of to write to you about. I know I'll have quite a lot to write about after Taize and Munich, so take this Joeletter as the calm before the storm - sol.
In His Time,
Friday, April 08, 2005
Create A Trend - Sol
I am writing today to offer you a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You are being invited to join a trend at the ground level. You, yes you, are being offered the chance to become a trendsetter.
"What does it take?" you ask. "Will it involve any financial expenditure? Because if it does, I'm out of here."
Never fear, this is a no-risk, non-profit trend. Continue reading for full details.
I, Joel Jackson, have invented a new acronym for cyberworld use. It is "sol." That's right, sol. It stands for Smile Out Loud. I became rather tired of seeing "lol" all the time, especially when something was kind of funny, but not funny enough to really Laugh Out Loud about. Thus, I coined the term Sol, or sol in it's uncapitalized version.
This blog post is your official invitation to join a cutting-edge trend. If each of us make an effort to use sol as much as applicably possible when writing e-mails and instant messaging, and invite our friends to do the same, the cyberworld will take notice. Already I receive instant messages and e-mails from my friends that include this hip new phrase. You are invited to do the same.
For those of you who are interested, there are a couple other cyberslang acronyms that are also starting to catch on. These are syk - Slap Your Knee; and gol - Grin Out Loud. Yes, gol is merely a variant of sol. But it's kinda catchy, and has a LOTR ring to it - it reminds me of Gollum every time I see it.
Thank you for your time, and remember to always SOL!
In His Time,
"What does it take?" you ask. "Will it involve any financial expenditure? Because if it does, I'm out of here."
Never fear, this is a no-risk, non-profit trend. Continue reading for full details.
I, Joel Jackson, have invented a new acronym for cyberworld use. It is "sol." That's right, sol. It stands for Smile Out Loud. I became rather tired of seeing "lol" all the time, especially when something was kind of funny, but not funny enough to really Laugh Out Loud about. Thus, I coined the term Sol, or sol in it's uncapitalized version.
This blog post is your official invitation to join a cutting-edge trend. If each of us make an effort to use sol as much as applicably possible when writing e-mails and instant messaging, and invite our friends to do the same, the cyberworld will take notice. Already I receive instant messages and e-mails from my friends that include this hip new phrase. You are invited to do the same.
For those of you who are interested, there are a couple other cyberslang acronyms that are also starting to catch on. These are syk - Slap Your Knee; and gol - Grin Out Loud. Yes, gol is merely a variant of sol. But it's kinda catchy, and has a LOTR ring to it - it reminds me of Gollum every time I see it.
Thank you for your time, and remember to always SOL!
In His Time,
the Church, the Body, & Worship
While I was in Munich, Germany, a few of the Christian men I had met invited me to come to Starbucks. I gladly agreed; these are some wonderful men who I am blessed to be seeking Christ alongside of.
We sat there sipping our respective drinks, and of course began talking about different things. Our conversation at last settled on The Church. More specifically, what form should The Church take? There is the MegaChurch form, the ReallyBigChurch form, the Regular-to-Small Church form, the Tiny Church form, the House Church form, the informal-meeting-together form. This is just to name a few.
But the question, I suppose, really took the form of, "What should a church, meeting together, look like." Is it better to have a huge congregation, or a small group of friends and acquaintances who are all seeking God? Or is something in between best? We wrestled with this question for quite a while, exploring several different avenues. The answer we eventually came up with is, "There is no one best way to meet together as a body." There are many different ways, as we see all around us, and each way is equally valid. This is because our relationship with Christ is dependent on Him, not on what we do. The form of our corporate worship is not nearly as important as the hearts of those engaged in that worship. And we decided that at different times each kind of corporate worship could be best. There is just not One Way to worship together. That would be a method, a pattern. Our life with Christ dies by patterns that do not depend on Him.
However, that's not what I wanted to write about. That's just background information. In fact, I've got a little more background information too.
Ben has started a time of prayer that we host at our flat. Originally the plan was to meet each week on Tuesday night, but it's only worked every other week so far. We have about two hours of silence, prayer, and spontaneous Scripture reading, interspersed with songs. It's a wonderful time of quietness and solemnity.
This time of prayer that we host is in addition to Wednesday afternoon's time of Team prayer. The Impact team meets together at different member's flats to pray and share a meal. And this time of prayer last Wednesday is what triggered this entire blog post.
As we sat in Jeff's flat praying, we kept having different interruptions. We might laugh together at something, someone would ring the doorbell as they arrived late. One member had to escort a guest to the nearby train station. All in all, it wasn't the focused time of prayer and solemnity that I somehow expected.
I have been in many, many different meetings of The Body as I've grown up. Having a set "form" of service can lead to me tuning out, just going through motions. Currently I am very appreciative of small groups of seekers meeting on their own to pray and discuss their pursuit of Him. Since the group does not have a set pattern of doing things, it feels different, and feels more like I'm worshiping God and responding to Him.
But sitting in Jeff's flat this past Wednesday, I realized again that having no pattern is a pattern. And, in fact, patterns will emerge very quickly. Expectations creep in, and I can tune out anywhere. The point of worship is not the form, the point of worship is not how it feels. The point of worship is God. It's an attitude, a heart-spirit. That is why I can be sitting in the midst of the Body, and we can be sharing a laugh, and still be worshiping. People can come and go, doing what they must, and we are still worshipping.
In Sunday School when I was about six I learned a simple chant that I will carry with me the rest of my life. It is not a complete definition, but it still serves to remind me of the point of worship. It goes like this:
W-O-R-S-H-I-P,
Here's what worship means to me
Telling God
how special
He is
In His Time,
We sat there sipping our respective drinks, and of course began talking about different things. Our conversation at last settled on The Church. More specifically, what form should The Church take? There is the MegaChurch form, the ReallyBigChurch form, the Regular-to-Small Church form, the Tiny Church form, the House Church form, the informal-meeting-together form. This is just to name a few.
But the question, I suppose, really took the form of, "What should a church, meeting together, look like." Is it better to have a huge congregation, or a small group of friends and acquaintances who are all seeking God? Or is something in between best? We wrestled with this question for quite a while, exploring several different avenues. The answer we eventually came up with is, "There is no one best way to meet together as a body." There are many different ways, as we see all around us, and each way is equally valid. This is because our relationship with Christ is dependent on Him, not on what we do. The form of our corporate worship is not nearly as important as the hearts of those engaged in that worship. And we decided that at different times each kind of corporate worship could be best. There is just not One Way to worship together. That would be a method, a pattern. Our life with Christ dies by patterns that do not depend on Him.
However, that's not what I wanted to write about. That's just background information. In fact, I've got a little more background information too.
Ben has started a time of prayer that we host at our flat. Originally the plan was to meet each week on Tuesday night, but it's only worked every other week so far. We have about two hours of silence, prayer, and spontaneous Scripture reading, interspersed with songs. It's a wonderful time of quietness and solemnity.
This time of prayer that we host is in addition to Wednesday afternoon's time of Team prayer. The Impact team meets together at different member's flats to pray and share a meal. And this time of prayer last Wednesday is what triggered this entire blog post.
As we sat in Jeff's flat praying, we kept having different interruptions. We might laugh together at something, someone would ring the doorbell as they arrived late. One member had to escort a guest to the nearby train station. All in all, it wasn't the focused time of prayer and solemnity that I somehow expected.
I have been in many, many different meetings of The Body as I've grown up. Having a set "form" of service can lead to me tuning out, just going through motions. Currently I am very appreciative of small groups of seekers meeting on their own to pray and discuss their pursuit of Him. Since the group does not have a set pattern of doing things, it feels different, and feels more like I'm worshiping God and responding to Him.
But sitting in Jeff's flat this past Wednesday, I realized again that having no pattern is a pattern. And, in fact, patterns will emerge very quickly. Expectations creep in, and I can tune out anywhere. The point of worship is not the form, the point of worship is not how it feels. The point of worship is God. It's an attitude, a heart-spirit. That is why I can be sitting in the midst of the Body, and we can be sharing a laugh, and still be worshiping. People can come and go, doing what they must, and we are still worshipping.
In Sunday School when I was about six I learned a simple chant that I will carry with me the rest of my life. It is not a complete definition, but it still serves to remind me of the point of worship. It goes like this:
W-O-R-S-H-I-P,
Here's what worship means to me
Telling God
how special
He is
In His Time,
Thursday, April 07, 2005
My sister had a birthday
Yeah, so, yesterday was my eldest sister's birthday. She turned fifteen! I'm still trying to recover from the shock of realizing that she is fifteen, and going to be sixteen next year. *sniff sniff* they grow us so fast.
I got to call just before lunch time and talk with her. That was nice. She liked my gift, a Barlow Girl CD. Which is good, 'cause she helped me pick it out before I left to come over here. It's also good because she got poison ivy on her feet, and it helps to distract her.
I'll brag a little bit more on my sister, since I'm talking about her. This past Saturday she went to our local Bible Bowl tournament, the Greenwood Round Robin. Now, we've played Bible Bowl together for two years, this current year being her third. I've taught her everything I know, other than the text. She had to memorize that herself.
So this past Saturday Mikaela casually takes the Bible Bowl Individual test, like every month. And she scores a perfect 150!!!! Another girl, one of our top friendly competitors, also scored a perfect 150. So it came down to a written tie-breaker. And Mikaela won! She didn't make any mistakes. I'm so proud of her, and of the rest of my family too.
In His Time,
I got to call just before lunch time and talk with her. That was nice. She liked my gift, a Barlow Girl CD. Which is good, 'cause she helped me pick it out before I left to come over here. It's also good because she got poison ivy on her feet, and it helps to distract her.
I'll brag a little bit more on my sister, since I'm talking about her. This past Saturday she went to our local Bible Bowl tournament, the Greenwood Round Robin. Now, we've played Bible Bowl together for two years, this current year being her third. I've taught her everything I know, other than the text. She had to memorize that herself.
So this past Saturday Mikaela casually takes the Bible Bowl Individual test, like every month. And she scores a perfect 150!!!! Another girl, one of our top friendly competitors, also scored a perfect 150. So it came down to a written tie-breaker. And Mikaela won! She didn't make any mistakes. I'm so proud of her, and of the rest of my family too.
In His Time,
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
A Sun-Soaked Day
Today, I decided to play the tourist. I woke up a little later than I had planned, but that's okay. Tourists shouldn't worry about time too much.
But sometimes tourists do worry about the time, so I didn't dwaddle as I prepared to go out. I packed what I had for lunch, and made a mental note of what I needed to get at a store.
A good tourist always checks to see what the weather is like before going out. About 50 degrees, sunny, with a good chance of increasing heat as the day progressed. Beautiful.
I left the flat, walked to the metro station, occasionally greeting the natives in their own language, like any good tourist. I managed not to gawk, stumble over things while staring at gorgeous buildings, or get run over on my way to the metro. I realized that I was letting the tourist image down a little bit. I made up for it by trying my very best to speak the native language clearly. I'm sure that this was every bit in character for a tourist, because I got a few blank looks from fellow pedestrians.
I entered the metro, rode to a centrally located store, and purchased what I needed to complete my lunch. Again the good tourist, I thanked the cashier and said goodbye, all in the native tongue. It's so fun to experience new places!
I again boarded a metro and rode to Vysehrad. I had been informed by friends that there existed in this area a second castle (the first being Prague Castle, an inevitable tourist attraction). Being a good tourist, I did not want to go where "everyone else" was going. I needed to find vistas off the beaten path.
Fortunately, the "off the beaten path" was fairly easy to find, enclosed as it was by massive, ancient stone walls. Grass, trees, and beautiful views of the city predominated. The sun had risen and been shining long enough to warm the air up considerably. Like a good tourist, I ignored the local measuring unit of temperature, and estimated that it was 65 or 70 degrees out.
I realized that I had again slacked off from my primary task, and had not even removed my camera from my backpack, much less taken any pictures. I speedily addressed this wrong, and began seeking photographic opportunities. Fortunately, such opportunities abounded. Tunnels, walls, buildings, and the views from each of these, began filling my camera memory.
With this difficulty momentarily turned aside, a second one presented itself. Having contracted a cold a few days earlier, my nose was still producing mucus in large quantities. This in itself was not a problem, until I ran out of tissues. From this point onward, it became much more difficult to enjoy the gloriously warm day, the stunning views, and the ancient architecture. All I could think about was my nose, and how uncomfortable it was.
Finally, with a tourist's sigh, I retraced my steps to find a public restroom. Unlike public restrooms in the States, you must pay 3 crowns (between 12 - 15 cents) to use their facilities here. Having put it off as long as I could, this tourist bowed to necessecity and blew his nose on Czech toilet paper.
This unpleasant business finished, I once again was free to resume my tourist duties. Directly across from the public restrooms, though I had not seen it before, lay a cemetery. Walking silently between the packed plots of ground, I was once again reminded of how fragile our life is. Even more than that, how temporary it is. Each of these people were cherished, loved, and were energetic beings in life. But now, most of them no longer even have anyone to remember them. All that it left is an ornate coffin, resting in a beautiful cemetery.
Having been reminded of this lesson, I left the cemetery and returned to my circuit of the castle. The sun continued to shine warmly upon me, and I paused a few time to bask in it's embrace. I noticed several people sitting on the grass, and one couple even enjoying a picnic.
It struck me that this would be a perfect day for a picnic. Warm, just a touch of breeze, sunshine, no bugs yet...And all of this on a castle! Not bad at all. I would have liked to try it out myself, but I didn't have a blanket with me, nor anyone to share the picnic with. So I resigned myself to eating lunch on a large, uniquely shaped rock.
I must say, I like being a tourist on a day like this. I may have to try it again.
In His Time,
But sometimes tourists do worry about the time, so I didn't dwaddle as I prepared to go out. I packed what I had for lunch, and made a mental note of what I needed to get at a store.
A good tourist always checks to see what the weather is like before going out. About 50 degrees, sunny, with a good chance of increasing heat as the day progressed. Beautiful.
I left the flat, walked to the metro station, occasionally greeting the natives in their own language, like any good tourist. I managed not to gawk, stumble over things while staring at gorgeous buildings, or get run over on my way to the metro. I realized that I was letting the tourist image down a little bit. I made up for it by trying my very best to speak the native language clearly. I'm sure that this was every bit in character for a tourist, because I got a few blank looks from fellow pedestrians.
I entered the metro, rode to a centrally located store, and purchased what I needed to complete my lunch. Again the good tourist, I thanked the cashier and said goodbye, all in the native tongue. It's so fun to experience new places!
I again boarded a metro and rode to Vysehrad. I had been informed by friends that there existed in this area a second castle (the first being Prague Castle, an inevitable tourist attraction). Being a good tourist, I did not want to go where "everyone else" was going. I needed to find vistas off the beaten path.
Fortunately, the "off the beaten path" was fairly easy to find, enclosed as it was by massive, ancient stone walls. Grass, trees, and beautiful views of the city predominated. The sun had risen and been shining long enough to warm the air up considerably. Like a good tourist, I ignored the local measuring unit of temperature, and estimated that it was 65 or 70 degrees out.
I realized that I had again slacked off from my primary task, and had not even removed my camera from my backpack, much less taken any pictures. I speedily addressed this wrong, and began seeking photographic opportunities. Fortunately, such opportunities abounded. Tunnels, walls, buildings, and the views from each of these, began filling my camera memory.
With this difficulty momentarily turned aside, a second one presented itself. Having contracted a cold a few days earlier, my nose was still producing mucus in large quantities. This in itself was not a problem, until I ran out of tissues. From this point onward, it became much more difficult to enjoy the gloriously warm day, the stunning views, and the ancient architecture. All I could think about was my nose, and how uncomfortable it was.
Finally, with a tourist's sigh, I retraced my steps to find a public restroom. Unlike public restrooms in the States, you must pay 3 crowns (between 12 - 15 cents) to use their facilities here. Having put it off as long as I could, this tourist bowed to necessecity and blew his nose on Czech toilet paper.
This unpleasant business finished, I once again was free to resume my tourist duties. Directly across from the public restrooms, though I had not seen it before, lay a cemetery. Walking silently between the packed plots of ground, I was once again reminded of how fragile our life is. Even more than that, how temporary it is. Each of these people were cherished, loved, and were energetic beings in life. But now, most of them no longer even have anyone to remember them. All that it left is an ornate coffin, resting in a beautiful cemetery.
Having been reminded of this lesson, I left the cemetery and returned to my circuit of the castle. The sun continued to shine warmly upon me, and I paused a few time to bask in it's embrace. I noticed several people sitting on the grass, and one couple even enjoying a picnic.
It struck me that this would be a perfect day for a picnic. Warm, just a touch of breeze, sunshine, no bugs yet...And all of this on a castle! Not bad at all. I would have liked to try it out myself, but I didn't have a blanket with me, nor anyone to share the picnic with. So I resigned myself to eating lunch on a large, uniquely shaped rock.
I must say, I like being a tourist on a day like this. I may have to try it again.
In His Time,
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