Crumbs From the Corner: Adventures in Woolgathering

Monday, December 3, 2007

A Blank Book



"In the hope of reaching the moon,
men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet."

-Albert Schweitzer

When my Spouse and I first met, it was Christmas and we visited my relatives. We brought some gifts to my cousins who were twelve and seven years old.
Spouse, not having met them, was unsure what would be suitable but we chose carefully. I thought that, for the younger child, a book in which he could draw or write might be a pleasant gift.
When we arrived, my younger cousin tore open his brightly wrapped package and exclaimed: "a blank book!" with a gasp and an expression neither Spouse or I have ever forgotten.
He was truly pleased. He was already optimistically contemplating the possibilities of a big fat book of nothingness.
How many of us would be yet content with a book of blank pages, or could see the potential of something so empty and simple?
Granted, he was only a child but I am certain there is a message to be taken from that: the art of finding something where the rest see nothing is a tremendous utility that should not be underestimated.
Those are the individuals that see whole pictures in clouds and never use the word 'bored.'

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