Beautiful, yet Fragile

Today I spent the majority of my day walking the streets and sitting in the town square in the beautiful Polish city of Boleslawiec, world famous for its beautiful pottery. Sitting under an umbrella in an outdoor bistro, I enjoyed watching the people walk to and fro in the square. There were colorful shops and restaurants, old cathedrals being renovated, children splashing in the fountains under the drenched bodies and watchful eyes of their mothers, pigeons looking for a bite to eat, and visitors deciding at which restaurant to have lunch.

The weather was hot and humid, yet irregular breezes were like kisses being blown by the Slavic Goddess Dogoda, the Goddess of the west wind, love and gentleness, cooling the air and making it all worthwhile to be there. Seeing the rebuilding of the cathedral and the remaining remnants of the old church got me to thinking about how fragile life is. The beautiful town square existed because the previous town square was destroyed during the war. The colorful shops and buildings were a result of rebuilding. It was definitely fun hanging out in the town square and especially sitting on the Polish pottery bench.

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I have been blessed with many beautiful things in my life…my wife, my children, my home, my health, my work, my mother, my father, my brothers, my sister, my grandparents. I’ve been truly blessed in many ways, but it seems that all that is beautiful in this life also is very fragile. It can be gone before you know it. This truth, I can attest to….

After a wonderful fresh salad featuring thin slices of sirloin and fresh slices of peaches, my friend and I headed to the Polish Pottery shops. You talk about beauty…Wow! The pottery was exquisite and plentiful. I was sitting in a soft chair in one store talking to the shopkeeper when a young family came in to browse. The toddlers were everywhere and both of us watched in fearful anticipation of a pottery disaster. Several bowls were kicked and plates were slid, but thankfully there was no damage. It was like bulls in a china shop. The family left, we breathed a sigh of relief and I got up to leave only to kick a beautiful vase. Luckily, it didn’t break and we laughed…Polish pottery definitely falls under the category of beautiful, yet fragile.

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Driving through the round-abouts in Boleslawiec on our way out of town, we noticed that the medians were adorned with Polish pottery of the large variety. It was a nice visit and I look forward to returning before the end of my rotation.

Recently I experienced a scary health episode. I am okay now but getting adjusted to a new normal. With hindsight, I can say that it’s better to consider a new normal before a negative event rather than after one. I tell you this so that you give thought to adjusting to a new normal and by that I mean making special efforts to love and take care of the beautiful people and things in your life…they are fragile. I hope you at least think about it.

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From my room on the top floor of my hotel, I can open the windows and enjoy whatever might be going on outside. I get a nice evening breeze with the windows open, especially when there is a cool spring rainstorm. Sometimes though, it hails and if one is too intent on videotaping the hail, a body part may be at risk, ouch!…For some reason I can’t get that video loaded on the post, so maybe next time. The other day I heard drums and people and opened the windows to see a group of people on a peaceful march for their cause. There really are many beautiful things going on if only I pay attention.

It’s been a while since the last blog entry. I’m knocking the rust off on this post. I hope to do one or two more before I head home. Until next time…