Saturday, November 27, 2010

Life as a Crossword Puzzle

Another snippet from Pools of Lodging for the Moon by David K. Reynolds, PhD.(1989). The message behind this one is less clear than that offered by two others I've quoted in the past. If a passing reader can interpret Vacuum Packed differently from my own attempt, please feel free - I'd be interested to read alternative ideas.




VACUUM-PACKED

Heddy reads old TV Guide magazines. She watches reruns of televison quiz shows, sometimes shouting out the answers even before the questions are asked. She keeps videotapes of commercials for products she can no longer buy.

Sally was buried with an extra pair of her favourite shoes in the coffin.

Jerry types page after page of random-letter gibberish at the VA Neuropsychiatric Hospital Typing clinic. He calls the ten thousand pages of single-spaced nonsense his "manuscript".

Franklyn pushes the floor button of the elevator exactly twice, then he pushes the close-door button exactly three times, then he presses against the bottom of the button panel with the palm of his right hand and waits expectantly for the door to close.

In the crossword puzzle of life the meanings may not be easily found. They are there, nevertheless.


Hmmmmm.
Life can be seen as a crossword puzzle, that's true. We each find ways of filling in the blanks to suit our own situations. Some choose to fill in the blanks with the help of a little astrology, guided by the inner nature reflected through their natal charts.

Sometimes we manage to fill in the blanks wrongly, find that our choices, decisions or opinions didn't fit with other essential factors, then we need to erase our initial idea, re-group and start anew.

Erno Rubik (of cube fame)said "The problems of puzzles are very near the problems of life." In life, however, unless one is convinced that "fate" is in charge of events, there is no pre-determined solution - we must craft our own.

At times, when absolutely nothing seems to fit, we rely our "automatic pilot" which, if not well-tuned, might lead to experiences such as those described in Vacuum-Packed - different ways of filling in those pesky blanks when nothing else seems right.

5 comments:

Wisewebwoman said...

Gee, I love this post T. One of my favourite topics (and fiction writing) the so-called craziness of people filling in the holes in their lives.
You have enormous compassion and understanding.
XO
WWW

Gian Paul said...

Gian Paul: Had to think of Sokrates, when he said: "I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean".

pmp said...

I love this stuff

Twilight said...

WWW ~~~ That's too kind. I try, but often fall short, especially where politcs are concerned. People are people and we're all in the same rocky boat - politics, as Al Gore once said is/are "toxic".
:-)

Twilight said...

Gian Paul ~~~ Yes, Socrates certainly knew a thing or two. ;-)