Journal | Certainty
EVERY MORNING I have my first coffee of the day at 7.20 am outside, in the garden, regardless of the weather. My appointment with Nature, you might say. It sets the day on an even keel. I have a chance to listen to the world, all sounds, the bus in the far distance on the main road, the rain on the puppy shed behind me, the slight rustle in branches on a windy day, the aircraft flying this morning, I reckon, at about 30,000 feet or 9,000 meters take your pick.
And then there are the birds. The first bark of the morning on being let out a couple of gardens across, and the memories of our dogs as I would open the french doors and they’d gambole out, well, one gambolling, another not quite so fast these days. Watching their delight. As I sip my coffee, suddenly, one is already sitting beside me. The warmth of her fur, floppy ears, the sheer joy on her face and in her eyes.
The comedy too. So many instances of pure comic relief, pure joy. And the total devotion. The complete faith and trust, their sixth sense that goes way, way, way, WAY beyond any human sixth sense.
Jake … my Oppo!
… yes. A good way to start each day. Be reminded of Nature, and come face to face with certainty and perfection. Nothing by chance. And the more knowledge we acquire, the more this certainty solidifies, focuses afresh, and we see the concept of chance diminishing ever faster as, at the very same instance, new dimensions open.
*
There have been countless animals in my life. All sorts. Dogs, cats, birds, horses, you name it … And mine is but a fraction of that which millions of you experience.
A religbod once tried to tip my boat up and couldn’t quite believe my rejecting his opine with a short sentence akin to a battleship salvo.
I’d been told that animals have no soul or spirit. Okay. I can understand the reasoning. Then I have to balance the theorem with practical experience, and by that, I mean personal experience.
*
A friend put it in a way that I simply cannot say more beautifully …
You know, when that time comes,
an awful lot of people you love will be welcoming you with open arms.
But something else happens too.
Even in that wondrous dimension,
they have to make sure
they don’t get caught in the stampede
of all those other souls
who’ll be rushing SO fast to you,
as bright and wonderful,
all shapes and sizes,
yes, as wondrous,
delightful and as loveable
as ever!
And that makes my day every time I recall it.
*
When I’m in the park or on the hill, how good it is when, I know not why, I seem to attract wagging tails and happy faces … which in turn leads to wonderful conversations with strangers who quickly become friends. And all of us, without exception, understand fully, truly, my friend’s observation, even though we might often never speak of it!
We’re the Team … Lucy and Jake … Yep, you’ve got it … we own Fernlea … Daz and Andrew just lodge here
2 December 2022
All Rights Reserved
© Kenneth Thomas Webb 2022
The first image is of Amber, Barley and the new arrival Willow … all related
Written February 2021
Sadie circa 1974
La Roche 1973 on Aggs Hill leading to Cleeve Hill above Cheltenham with the author
Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.
He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.
Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.
In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.
