A blog by any other name...

ok, here i am. Launched phalanges-first into the published (?) online written world of that crazy ole' devil called The Internet. It feels a bit like moving into a new house, the fresh clean lines surrounding me, with no clutter, as i stand slightly awestruck in the doorway. But if i didn't start today, this little blog might slowly fade into invisibility. If i feed it regularly, much like the frightening "Audrey II" in the Little Shop of Horrors, i might provide it enough nourishment for it to grow and fluorish... i'll stop at letting it turn into a terrifying triffid-like monster i think. for now.

So, the purpose of today's foray, aside from psyching myself into the world of writing online, is to explain the title. "Spelling it Nature" speaks volumes to me, but to the casual observer probably just looks like another crappy attempt by some quasi-intellectual webwriter to maintain a cryptic yet catchy web handle. And you may well be right. But let me explain anyway.

The phrase fragment (Word would have asked me to "consider revising" by now), is a play on my favourite quote. That of course is Frank Lloyd Wright's simple yet brilliant assertion that "I believe in God, only i spell it Nature".

This nine-word sentence very neatly and economically sums up the way I have lived my life. I have never "found" religion, although i do recall briefly yearning to become a Christian when i was 13 because my best friend was and her other (in hindsight, rather green-eyed) friend declared one day that her mother said i was an atheist and must therefore hate my friend. I also dabble with Buddhist principles (read: i have read the Dalai Lama's "Freedom in Exile" and own some mala prayer beads). I don't like to think that i dabble in Buddhism because it's trendy for celebrities... and if that were the case i'd be wearing a red yarn bracelet. I like it because it's kind to animals. however, even that is completely anthropocentric when you think hard about it. "I'd better not swat that fly, it might be Uncle Roy".

Nature however has ALWAYS been a holy place for me. I am the girl that is late to work, because i stopped at my front door to watch a wasp warming itself up for the day on the red bricks of my house. i will stand outside in the rain to watch our resident kereru pair gorging themselves on fruits from the exotic tree on the front lawn. It continues to inspire me on a daily basis, and after year's of flitting like a fantail between meditation evenings and eastern philosophy texts, i realised it had been the fire in my soul all along!

I'll close soon (to coin a term from my lovely Nana D), but first, i'm going to really put myself "out there" (or is that "in there"? - what would John Lennon say) and publish the only poem i've ever written. It's perhaps a little "twee" (my work colleague thinks some of my writing is twee - i'm inclined to agree, but I won't change my style). It pretty much sums up the reason for the name of this blog, helps to describe what truly energises and fulfils me. Please understand there are plenty of other tangents and issues i want to bang on about, but i wanted to really introduce myself, so that you may gain a sense of who i am and what drives me. So anyway, who knows where this little tinkling of the ivories will take me (us), but for now, kia ora, and i look forward to setting off on this little journey.

Nature is the passion that rules my world,
I've found answers from god as a frond unfurled,
In front of me,
I sit, cramped haunches, staring for eternity
At this simple form, as it grows, I see it holds the key
Nestled in the deep, damp rich soil that permeates,
I meditate, contemplate, and wonder why I can't relate.
I don't go to church, know a psalm, can't sing a hymn,
I haven't read the Koran, and I can't say I've ever been
To a temple or a mosque and "found God" in what I heard
Yet my mind finds nirvana in the call of a bird,
Above me it trills, its endless warblings melodic,
Not chaotic, it replaces this disharmony that spun throughout my head.
If I couldn't lose myself in nature, then my soul would be dead.
Dried, crisp and brittle like a fallen leaf.
The life all around us fills me with relief,
Soothes all stings, takes away all pain,
I seek solace in the bush again and again.