Life is full of contrasts. As I sealed myself off from the city, and connections to the world; I spent half a night looking at the stars and wonder what is out there.
A pile of dry wood of 5 meters in diameter fed a scorching flame that stood 3 meters high. We lit one end of the pile with the help of some gas, and the fire soon grew to consume the rest of it. The most beautiful and most savage of the primal elements; It was red with anger, orange with warmth, blue with calm, and yellow with passion. Its tongue snakes, its claw swings and sways, and it danced. it danced on the dead branches that was once brimming with life, and it celebrated the transfer of one energy to another. The bonfire filled my limbs with warmth, my body with adrenaline, and my mind with primal impulses. I wanted to dance, with the dancing flame, spin in circles and around the fire, but as I got close the heat slapped me on my face. I wanted to fly, spread my wings and let the hot current take me up to twirl and whirl and glide gracefully back to the ground. I wished, that I had my violin in my hands, that I could play like a gypsy around the campfire, without method, without rules, carelessly luring the curious in the nearby woods.
The Red violin is a movie I've wanted to watch for a long time. Problem with anticipation is that it elevates the expectation, leaving you disappointed regardless of how good the experience is. Don't anticipate anything in life, that way, everything is a nice surprise. It also doesn't help that someone tells you the twist just before you watch the movie. Nevertheless, it did remind me of my love for violins, and now I miss mine.
The legend of 1900 is another movie that I have wanted to watch for years. It turned out better than I thought. It tells the story of a man who was born on a cruise ship, who spent his life performing on the ship as it sails across the Atlantic. He never sat foot on dry land, and when the opportunity came, couldn't.
"Land? Land is a ship too big for me; it's a woman too beautiful, it's a voyage too long, a perfume too strong...It's music I don't know how to make..."
It also gave me the title for this post.
It's scary how limiting our world can become when we stay in the comfort zone. If we don't expand the horizon, push the boundary, scare ourselves; we then become settled, and even fearful of the outside world. At the same time, knowing your limits can be an asset as well as an excuse not to explore beyond the eyes can see.
The highlight of the weekend, is of course, an introduction to leatherworking. I am now a proud owner of a leather belt and a keyring that I made myself, tooled, and stitched by hand. It's immensely satisfying to make use of tools and your hands, and walk away with a product of your labour.
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