Age is such a quiet and unconscious evolution… its progression is so delicate and subtle that we hardly feel ourselves changing, yet it’s passing is made so very tangible by every minute that escapes our notice; Certainly we are conscious of our deliberate decisions that mark our growing maturity, difficult choices that will inevitably manifest changes in our lives and the distinguishable faces that bear some mark of fond recollections in our mind… but how often do we witness in our thoughts, preoccupations and in dreams unawakened the metamorphosis of ourselves?
I look around my study, the sanctuary which has become in itself a reflection of my diversifying life. My bookshelves once malnourished with no more than a few books arranged sparingly on its shelves now overflow with leadership doctrines, philosophy, business methodologies, classics, biographies and theology. The titles in themselves reflect the seasons of my life, my diversifying interests, the indulgences of my curiosity, the broadening of my appreciation for the written word, my heroes of life, the inspirations of my journey, and even a few scarce books which against all odds forcibly imposed themselves upon me.
Design journals and vogue architecture books and magazines take the place of hobby craft, Adobe Photoshop and Design-pro software replaces Mah Jong, Solitaire and ‘where in the world is Carmen Santiago’. Leather bound journals stand in place of the blue or purple spiral notebooks whose every page was adorned with some cute floral or animal graphic, and where books were once arranged by height or colour for the appeasement of interior design – their sequences are now catalogued methodologically by author and subject matter. A fireproof safe with indexed cd-roms takes the place of Anne Geddes photo albums and the assorted pens and markers that once made an alluring bouquet of colour on my desk have long been replaced by black fine-tipped pens and silver sheathed retractable pencils.
A beautifully bolstered polished sword hangs on one wall in my office, a Ken Duncan photograph on another and set in a tall slender aluminium frame is shelved cd’s, tapes and various teaching materials which have been familiar voices all these many years. A sculptured brushed metal desk lamp takes place of the yellow plastic beacon that was once featured on my desk and a high definition 17” flat screen replaces the dome shaped 14” inch monitor that obstructed from view one entire corner of the room… Such is the progression of the technological age.
Featured on my desk, the face of a wolf carved out of a polished piece of solid oak holds a memory of my younger self being ever so entranced by these wild and lonely creatures, and a cheese-shaped stress ball serves as a token reminder to never fear change or in modern-day language ‘moving the cheese.’ Such simple philosophies have provided immeasurable direction and enrichment in my life over the years. Another poignant reminder of truth is a small worn quote mounted on a silver apple that sits on my desk as it has done for the past six years reminding me of the latent opportunities that beckon my attention every day, “People talk about “finding” their lives. In reality, your life is not something you find – it’s something you create” – David Phillips.
We all create something… we are all artists of a kind. Perhaps the picture I set out to paint those many years ago does not reflect in the art that surrounds me now but that is the beauty of creativity… we flow in the subconscious current of wherever it may take us. I wonder what these next few years hold; will life be what I imagined? Or will it be better?
