Inspired or Insipid

I loved the children's programme called "Pinky and the Brain." One was a genius and one was mad, but which one was which. The Brain was always trying to take over the world. He would hatch a crazy plan and then say to Pinky ... "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Of course the funny part that what Pinky thought was so far off left field that it would never work. But was he the genius or the mad? What is the definition of madness? To do the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome each time. And yes, "The Brain" was doing something similar each time .... which of course never worked. But were we the crazy ones to watch the show each week. We knew that the Brain would never succeed, but it never stopped us switching on and wanting to know what would happen. One character without the other would not be funny. And do we have our Pinky moments when our friends or family expect us to know exactly what they are thinking and we have absolutely no clue!

We have had three close friends die in the space of a week. And two of them had moments at the end of their lives where they wanted to speak and say something important, but the words would just not come. They were trying to communicate something that was essential to them, but we were all having Pinky moments and didn't have a clue. No, it wasn't something to take over the world, rather it was things like speaking to distant loved ones. Thank goodness for technology! I thought of Steve Jobs and his supposed last words which was all about how wealth was just a number on a bank statement, but love of family was precious beyond imagining. And that is true. Money is nothing if you do not use it to bring happiness and joy into our lives. Experiences are worth more than gold or silver. But maybe not to pay the power bills of course. Real money is required for that!

As a child our family was all about experiences and not much about money gathering. Walks along the beach were journeys of discovery. Picking up a stone washed and polished by the waves became a lesson in geology. Jasper and Tigers eye, pumice and jade were nestled in the corner of a tattered old shirt. Dad would then tell us stories of how they were created in the furnaces of the primordial pre-history. A look into the night sky was enhanced by tales of Van Allen's belt protecting us from harmful radiation and solar flares. He would whisper about how the stars we see might have already faded into nothingness as their light continued to travel on through the cosmos. But there was also times of hard work to hone our skills in such odd areas as making a mosaic bench or planting a vege garden. Dad laid out the shape of the imagined seat with pieces of wood and lots of nails. Then bit by bit colourful tiles were placed face down in the base. Cement was mixed and dye added. And yes folks, this is where the honing began. Lots and lots of mixing to just the right consistency. Then hours of dragging wheelbarrows of sludge across the yard to where Dad was busy. Let me tell you a little about our Dad. He did have a hair trigger temper ... most probably caused by post traumatic stress caused by the war, but when things were going smoothly, life was good. Now, just a side bar moment, PTSD can be handled by smothering your feelings with substance abuse .. lots of alcoholics after the war. Or adrenaline pursuits, lots of crazy stunts amongst the returned servicemen.... or finding things to occupy your mind. And that is what our Dad did. He found things to occupy his mind. There were also lots of fishermen type men who found peace in the gentle pursuit of watching a line dip and dive in the waves of the Indian ocean. But Dad was not a fisherman. So he collected things he called 'Useless information.' Thanks to this gathering of information and trying new things, us children learned a lot of stuff. Seriously. My brain sometimes has flashbacks and I will come out with random bits of stuff that I heard my Dad tell me when I was three or four or even twenty three or four.

Now lets be serious here folks, my brain has a split personality. One moment I can be Pinky thinking really outside the box and at others I am definitely the Brain .. not wanting to take over the world of course, but thinking I am cleverer than the average bear. We recently went to Australia for a road trip. 3000 kilometers of driving (1800 miles) Lots of Eucalyptus trees flapping their gums in the wind ... sorry Momma joke there. But we went down to this beach at Noosa heads and watched Mamma whales and their babies swimming past. We saw a venomous brown snake basking on the rocks and laughed at a turkey bustard scratching in the undergrowth ... and I thought "Dad would have been able to explain to us so many things that we don't even notice and Mom would have been oohing and aahing over the abundance of plant life." I must say that the overpowering impression I got of Australia was the smell of eucalypts ... lovely. Anyhow, I plan to do lots of gathering of useless information to fill the gaps left by my ignorance ... and who can I encourage to let me hone their skills in odd pursuits ..... well I am making some things for a Wearable arts day that I could find some willing participants for ... how to paint a dress to look like a butterfly emerging from a crysalis. Yup that should do it.

Now some quotes from Pinky and the Brain:

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

The Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Pinky: Woof, oh, I'd have to say the odds of that are terribly slim, Brain.

The Brain: True.

Pinky: I mean, really, when have I ever been pondering what you've been pondering?

The Brain: To my knowledge, never.

Pinky: Exactly. So, what are the chances that this time, I'm pondering what you're pondering?

The Brain: Next to nil.

Pinky: Well, that's exactly what I'm thinking, too.

The Brain: Therefore, you ARE pondering what I'm pondering.

Pinky: Poit, I guess I am.