My Old Hat
There may be one person on Earth who cares what I say. There also may not be. That’s not the point. But if there is one who values it that’s good.
The point is it’s good for me to acknowledge the simple good, the ordinary things. When the ordinary is seen as it is it becomes extraordinary.
As it is means there is no thought about what isn’t ordinary and in my vision now. That’s the extraordinary bit, no thought.
I took my new hat for a walk today, how extraordinary is that? I’ve been looking at buying one for years now, the thing that kept me from it was the price $75AU.
The other thing that kept me from it was the fact I already had a hat, a good one. And it hadn’t yet worn out.
It has now, the material has finally perished, probably rotted from the sweat. But also it has seen some very tough work.
It has protected my head from sun and rain and kept the sweat from my eyes while working hard in the back of my removals truck.
It has also protected my head from branches many times while walking in the bush. And served as a buffer to the spider webs I blundered into.
Have you ever had one in your face? Lucky the spiders drop to the ground when the web is rammed and torn, usually.
But now there are tears in it and it is beyond frayed at the edges. It is literally coming apart at the seams, so it can’t do what I want any more.
It now hangs on the wall of my living room, its final resting place? Who knows, I still might find a use for it! It has served me so well for so long I am not willing to throw it out. It’s my oldest friend.
I love my old hat and, oddly, I am proud of it. A little, if there is such a thing.
If someone came and took my old hat and threw it out I would miss it, there would be a hole on my wall where my hat now hangs.
But really, the hole would be where I expect to see my old hat, in my mind.
By the way, Rosella and Queenie have never met. And she doesn’t eat frogs very often.
All Copyright Reserved / Mark Berkery
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