here are some photos tom
here are some photos tom took while he was on a recent hillwalk at torc mountain, in kerry. I wasn’t there as I had to work late that afternoon, so I spent the day battling the madness in the shops. It’s unbelievable how intense the drive to buy is at this time of year. My list of gifts to buy is growing and growing each day, and my perspective is starting to get all skewed. For instance – we were looking at portable mp3 players, and the price range extends between about 50 and 400 pounds sterling. Of course, what does my eye catch but the 200 pound Creative Nomad NX. By the end of the evening, I was thinking that was a fairly reasonable buy. And then I had to slap myself and pour icecubes down my pants – 200 pounds is a lot of money for a fancy silver toy that plays loads and loads of music. I was even starting to feel good about myself for not falling (entirely) for the iPod. Sigh.
Anyway, on saturday I went into the crystal shop looking for a crystal for my grandmother, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I wandered around for a while, not sure what I should be looking for, so I eventually asked the guy sitting on the stool, which was covered in some kind of shaggy animal skin. He was wearing a cream shirt that had seen better days – there was a large hole in one corner and there were splashes of paint on the sleeves, but his eyes were soft and clear and kind.
“The only way you can choose a crystal for your grandmother is to go around and look at the different crystals with her in mind. If there is a right one, you will be strongly attracted to it, and if you don’t find anything it may just be that we don’t have your crystal here.” It’s easy to see why the shop was full with a sales pitch like that. He offered to read the description of the crystal and it’s properties if I found one.
I left the shop with a perfect green and purple flourite pendant and the most wonderful feeling throughout my whole self. A powerful, warm, peaceful humming, my spirit resonating with the kindness of another human being and the joy of giving something that is so well suited to the person receiving it. It wasn’t expensive, and it isn’t big or popular, but it feels like the best gift I could possibly give or receive this year.
