The sly reveal

Synchronicity, Part Two

As many of you know, I collect things: dried hosta stalks, bird skulls, beach glass, rocks.

One year, I used a sharpie to write on a few “special” stones and by special I mean somewhat flat and easily held in the palm. One stone down in the basement reads, Let the breath take you deeper. This is a catch phrase of a meditation circle I’ve been part of since the late 80’s (and incidentally, might be the only instruction one needs in order to learn to meditate).

I made a few of these and as far as I knew, they were either in the cellar (below) or I’d given them away.

My writing bench upstairs and the surrounding bookcases are hardly free of clutter. However, the clutter does not include bowls of rocks or shells. There are no freestanding rocks, either.

But somehow, this stone showed up near my power strip a few days ago. I was flummoxed. As flummoxed as I was on Sunday when I made a special trip to the grocery store for cilantro, bought cilantro and parsley, and could only find the parsley later. The cilantro disappeared. Or, to put it as a dear soul gifted with ADD and Irish blood might: the cilantro fucking vanished.

But here’s the thing. The dude abides. Yes indeed, when I flipped the stone near the power strip over, it read: the dude abides.

I have NO IDEA where the rock came from. It’s the inverse of the missing cilantro — the stone just fucking appeared.

Thank you, Universe. Nice to know you have humor in your bag of tricks! If there is any take away here, I think it has to do with appreciating and celebrating one’s tribe.

I lose cilantro but I also make stones appear.

** I didn’t seal the breath rock and it faded. At first disappointed to notice this wispy script, I later decided it captured the nature of the breath better than clearly defined text.

23 thoughts on “The sly reveal

  1. Joanne in Maine

    I was going to say- the text came but no images and when I pressed comment- I got images. So…all is well. I have a heart shaped rock. It gets misplaced but shows up when needed. Must have other places to be?

    Reply
  2. Jen

    Love this post very much,Dee!! & Good to know I’m not the only one who collects, HA!! And, yes, the Universe mostly certainly has a sense of humor. ( I’m frequently the butt of the jokes, ha)

    Reply
  3. Ginny

    Love it! And the skulls are so cool.

    The gremlins are playing games these days! Glad you found the dude stone. That’s a keeper!

    Reply
  4. Tina

    I love a good mystery and this post is full of it. Your bird skulls are amazing .. don’t remember ever seeing one.

    Reply
  5. Nancy

    Ha. When things just show up! Love looking at all of your collected goodies. Rocks with words, eh? I may have to ‘plant’ some of those next hike! haha

    Reply
  6. shemann

    love your collections! I am a collector too. I have not found any skulls ever! I’m in a wheelchair so I can only go so far into the woods. I call it life on the sidewalk.

    Reply
    1. deemallon Post author

      Skulls mostly found in the beach, so that wouldn’t work for you. Most of my dog walks are on sidewalks and I’m amazed at what I find — rusted bits, plastic dinosaurs, mirrors. Unfortunately these days also — a lot of discarded masks.

      Reply
  7. debgorr

    Loved seeing your collections! I once found the skull of a heron on the beach and decided to leave it there…then watched a woman and a couple children collect it. I am sure it went to school to share…at least I hope so.

    Reply
    1. deemallon Post author

      Nice! I once found an intact barred owl. A Native American came to the boys’ school the next week to give a presentation on raptors. I was able to give her the bird (yes, I froze it).

      Reply
  8. Saskia van Herwaarden

    ha i love – LOVE – your collections and the magic of stuff vanishing/materializing, very much what my life is like these days with the building in the home…..

    Reply

Leave a Reply to debgorrCancel reply