7 November 2018 — ‘My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky, so was it when my life began, so is it now I am a man. So be it when I shall grow old, or let me die. The child is father of the man, and I could wish my days to be, bound each to each in natural piety.’ (William Wordsworth 1770–1850)

The inspiration for quoting this poem, is, that today there was a rainbow in the sky and as always when I see a rainbow this poem comes to mind. The sentiment it expresses for me is that age is merely a state of mind and when older or old there is no need to ‘act’’ or ‘be’ or ‘feel’ any different from when we did when younger. We can still feel the same thrill at those situations and circumstances which emotionally moved us, as we did as children and young people. There is a temptation, however, to feel blase about things which we have seen so many times before and also, perhaps, to rationally think that it’s not expedient to still feel excited or joyful about seeing a mere rainbow. That is not to say that rationally we do not appreciate it and attempt to capture it on film but more often than not the rational mind suppresses our emotional responses of joy and excitement.

A dictionary definition of piety reads ‘the quality of being religious in a respectful and serious way’. My interpretation would simply be that of recognising and honouring the fact that we are a part of the world we live in, not separate from it, and, as we honour and respect everything within it including ourselves, the need to judge, compare and live up to others’ ideas of how we should be and act becomes redundant.

Ponder Points — Today my heart leaps us when…when I was young I used to get a thrill out of …