16. Burdocks and laughter

Well then, yesterday was a day in which I could count difficulties and things that really did not work out the way I wanted them to, or expected them too. At the end of the day, I was sitting in the car on the way home thinking of childhood days when one would come home with pockets full of trinkets collected; stones, flowers, broken glass pieces in different colours (you could keep green or brown coloured ones to watch solar eclipse, that is moon cover the sun), marble and mosaic pieces from the car park dirt outside the home and at times one would end up with those pricky brown things from a plant called burdock (kind of a thistle) stuck somewhere on one´s clothes. Then sorting would begin and much of what looked attractive out there was not a keeper at the end of the day, flowers would wither away, stones were just stones and some glass taken out from the sun did not seem as special while burdock with it´s dark brown colour and prickiness rarely had a reason to be kept.

Yesterday evening, however I thought that at least one burdock needs to be kept in this treasure box of mine, as a reminder of all of those pricky things that we may dislike and wish to discard as fast as possible. Firstly, thistles are actually good things in many ways, healthy stuff too and not as ugly as one would first think. But kept in a treasure box they are also a reminder.

There will always be people in your life that will think differently and annoy you greatly, that you will find wrong (even at times when really you are wrong), that will say or do wrong things, times when you will forget something terribly important, when you will miss a deadline, when you will feel loneliest you ever felt so far and biggest looser you could ever feel, or when you will come upon a person who seriously believes women do wish to be raped and will work on convincing everyone of it. It is to remind me of all those things I put a burdock in my treasure chest today. And then, right next to it, I am going to put a laughter, right next to a piece of beautiful glass to be named Hope.

I know it may sound cheesy, but at those times when life really feels tough and you are not ready to be helped by phylosophy and high thoughts, when you do not wish to be patronized by others supportive words, when there is little that can really help and sunny day outside rather menages to annoy you then to cheer you up, there is always  one thing left - laughter. Not a thiny smile, but a loud, huge and long laughter. One that gives everything a perspective and eventually presents you with hope.

I found laughter during the day that made me keep the burdock and believe in friendliness of hope. That is where I place my grace for the day.