GIVE ME A BLADE OF GRASS (And I'm in Heaven)
"Give me a blade of grass" he said, "and I'm in heaven." And gesturing towards the abundance of grass in Ballyloughan, the variety of nature surrounding us, he continued in admiration, "we have all of this!" What a holy and good attitude to life, and he claims not to be religious. We had never met before, though I knew his parents and we are from Mervue. He recognised me from facebook and just wanted to say hello. It was one of those blessed and uplifting encounters and, like me, I suspect he is drawn to solitude. It is easier to be alone than to be with people, the obligations that arise from simply being with another. It is easier and yet it is harder. Harder, because we become our own burden and so, it is essential to get out of ourselves, out into nature, out into encounters with other people who save us from ourselves. And also, because we have something to offer to the other, whether we realize it or not. How to marry the two. The solitud...