The Trampoline Effect

written by

Jeannette Zink

The butterfly is a visual beauty with the deceptive stamina of an Olympic long-distance runner. They are a four-wing powerhouse with the elegant grace and exquisite decorative coloring that even a patrician would concede to a less noble position.  Their ancient Greek name is Lepidoptera … the rhythm and sound of the word a sheer delight … perhaps a poetic jester to a time when dialogue exchange was the social media of salon gatherings for intellectual debates.

There is another attribute to the butterfly that has been leaping through my mind.  The concept known as the butterfly effect is a phenomenon where small causes can have large effects.  One metaphorical example I read about on Wikipedia is that of a hurricane:

 

“The exact time of the hurricane’s formation and the exact path it took were influenced by the minor perturbations, such as the flapping of the wings of a distant butterfly several weeks earlier.”  

Imagine the implications of this concept when it comes to everyday exchanges that occur among the human race.  An innocent smile is casually shared with the person so lonely that their heart gradually breaks from the weight of a silenced world.  The messages that always end with “we miss you and love you” … may be taken for granted by some; but, not by those who have forfeited this rare gift.  The Christmas gift of a trampoline to a child, absorbing the world at the speed of light, may be the butterfly effect of learning for tomorrow’s new discoveries.

Each of these superficial actions may mean zilch to the abstract vision hosting our content of day to day events.  After all, the chaos faced in just trying to make it from Point A to Point B is enough to make a butterfly take the next u-turn in search of a calmer air current.  Regardless of the benefactor, butterfly or trampoline, we must not squander a single blasé act.  For each may be the mustard seed that will change loneliness to hopefulness; a superficial existence to worthiness; and, a young life prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Remember when you once bounced and tumbled on a trampoline … remember the bliss of flying through the air as if on the wings of a butterfly.  Maybe the effect was a lifetime of joy in learning from the possibilities that greeted each new brave leap of faith.

May the whisper of the butterfly wings touch your heart and the springs of a trampoline your joyful companion as you travel this unpredictable lifetime journey.  Learn from each twist and turn, and have faith in each mustard seed. 

Peace and love, my kindred spirits.

You may enjoy visiting my blogs:

http://jeannettesartandstories.blogspot.com/

http://doodlngwithwordsbyjeannette.blogspot.com/

  

    

Stepping Stones for the Kindred of Spirit

written by

Jeannette Zink

Dream

Imagine

Believe

Magic

Each dancing with our soul;

Each embracing our spirit;

Each touching our heart;

Each knowing our gift;

Each cherishing our uniqueness;

Each sharing our universe.

Each a reason for our hopes;

Each a stepping stone for our tomorrows;

Each a cheering team for our courage;

Each planning our journey;

Each securing our place to …

Dream

Imagine

Believe

Magic

Words for Adalyn Grace

~ an Adalyn Grace essay ~

written by

Jeannette Zink

My near perfection great-niece, Adalyn Grace, is beginning to build quite the portfolio of essential words to communicate her needs, wants, and desires.  On January 4, 2016, Miss Adalyn found herself dancing on the trampoline of 400 words ready to spring into service.  She was also rejecting the suggestions of her incredibly patient and gifted mother with the respectful learned words, “No, thank you.” Allow me to set the context of these amazing feats … Adalyn Grace is nineteen-months-old and absolutely brilliant … just this morning, Adalyn was found relaxing on her favorite sofa enjoying the light reading of a Star Wars book.  I rest my case and subjective judgment of Adalyn Grace’s brilliance!

I am sorry to report that by the time I was the age of Adalyn I had only managed to figure out how to insert a hair pin into a light socket.  Needless to say, my skills did not receive the same accolades as that of Adalyn’s verbal dexterity.  Instead, the radius of the neighbor geography was greeted with waves of darkness and reset fuse buttons were searched for high and low.  I am fairly certain that the nice people in the community expressed plenty of well-chosen descriptive words found inhabiting their lexicon of exasperation.

As I complete this sentence, I suspect Adalyn Grace will have acquired at least twenty new words and assembled them in her treasure chest of tomorrow’s narrative.  Her words, acting as objects for a future collage, wait in reserve for the day when needed for a praised sentence.   That day will come in the not too distant future, and will be met with applaud and delight that another milestone has so quickly been achieved with the help and love of an unwavering support team … loving parents, grandparents, family and friends.

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Adalyn Grace, you are well on your way to the 1,000 mark of worthy speech collectibles.  Here are two words that I hope will be a part of your vocabulary playlist for a lifetime… HAPPY and JOY.

  

Enjoy the journey, precious and brilliant, Adalyn Grace.

Making space for a little Kindness

written by

Jeannette Zink

There are stages in our lives when we are profoundly confident in ourselves.  We surrender our qualms and set them aside with a self-assured glance.   Our wishes tossed to the heavens and easily lasso with the blink of a star.  Dreams caught with the whisper of a butterfly’s wings. These are the magical times when we are at our best.  We know who we are intended to be and our intended purpose.  It is the pleasant intersection of timing when the moon and sun join hands and dance a delightful jig in the glow of rainbow questions and starlight answers.  Life is good and there is no stopping the mystical karma … climb, climb as fast as you can to the top of your dreams … your time is now!

This learning journey to finding our best self was not an easy one.  There were surely twists and turns on our adventure when the gods of the universe turned a deft ear to our pleas for alternative paths.  We demanded answers for our prized dilemmas … answers with a due date of yesteryear.  At first, the wait was not pleasant.  We put up a great fight for our self-imposed timeline was imminent.  The struggle one-sided as we fought within ourselves for the things we deemed vital for our existence. 

Then one day we stopped to breathe; we brought down our fists of fear; and, we paused for a clear look at the space we had frivolously occupied.  The space we had not given a second thought of respect for the unassuming legroom of comfort.  After all, a sliver of the cosmos was owed to us by the sheer fact that we existed.  Our arrogant demands to be tolerated … we had places to go, things to do, people to see.

 

Our proclaimed space, reluctantly forgiving the whims of our less than evolved self, suddenly assumed an enchanting kaleidoscope of compassion that only our better self could have ever seen or appreciated.  The people in our sphere became kinder, or was it us who became kinder; love for one another a way of life; and, the space we occupied was more generous to the needs of others than that of our own. 

Kindness and love are powerful gifts and can take up a lot of space, if we just let them.  The space in my world has certainly grown once I let these welcomed gifts into my life. 

Blessings and love to all … may your space in life be enlarged and shared by these powerful gifts.

You may enjoy visiting my blogs:

http://jeannettesartandstories.blogspot.com/

http://doodlngwithwordsbyjeannette.blogspot.com/