The Hole in the Bucket

But, as the car moves along, there’s a point where they stop, turn and walk back to the little hut at the entrance to the field. This is consistent behaviour.

On Boxing Day, the fields were quiet.

“Are those dogs on vacation today or, are they working?” I wondered aloud.

As soon as I said it, I saw them. There they were, sitting quietly, looking out at the road.

We passed by without the usual fanfare. But they were there, steadfast in their duty.

The birds were there too, about their usual activities.

Public holiday or not, nature goes about its business, doing what it has to do. It’s not a ground-breaking discovery.

I am sure many others have observed it too. There’s a very comfortable balance in nature’s cycles that’s soothing, a flow that makes it reliable.

And perhaps that’s why sometimes a retreat into the natural environment soothes the mind. Perhaps it is the subconscious recognition of this flow that allows us to regain some balance in ourselves. It is a renewal that we need from time to time.

The idea of the new is a hopeful one. A new shoe perhaps, a new pencil, a new bag - they make us momentarily happy in a way that we may not necessarily be able to explain.

Sometimes an item isn’t necessary, yet we purchase it because it catches our fancy.

What is this ‘fancy’? Is it really just about having something new? What exactly does this new thing add? The answers vary. One assumes that it isn’t the same for everyone. But, at the core of this acquisition of newness, one thing seems consistent - there is the sense of filling a void. Whether the void to be filled is the genuine need for a new shoe because the old one is worn, or the void has to do with the acquisition of material things as a show of status, there is inevitably, a void. And it seems that life really is about ensuring that voids are filled.

But, as soon as one hole gets filled, another one appears.

And so, I guess, there’s always a hole in the bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry.

And then the New Year comes along, a psychological event even as it is temporal.

For many people, it brings the promise of better things. Even though January 1st looks like any other day of the previous year, it represents a renewal.

It is a time that fills us with a sense of renewed energy and many possibilities.

There’s a chance to fix those holes in the bucket or get a new one.

There’s vigour in the start of a New Year. And that is hopeful.

But then, for some, as the year progresses, their energy and sense of purpose begins to depreciate. The trick really is, “how do we sustain that feeling of renewal so that we can continue the year?” Perhaps one can find the answer in the infant. The infant child finds the world a curious place. She is easily entertained.

Buy her expensive presents and she finds a box. That mundane, old cardboard box can be any number of things, from drum to wheelbarrow.

She invents games, she invents people - she flows with the day.

She gets bored too. And then she rests and awakens again to explore. You might say that the child has no responsibility. She can afford the luxury of play.

And I will disagree.

She has undertaken the responsibility to figure out her surroundings and her relationship with it. She is even figuring out her relationship with her family.

Aren’t most of us in the same position, trying to decipher our own meaning within the world? The infant however, does it with a sense of curiosity that many of us have lost.

And many have also lost the happiness of engaging in an activity that provides a sense of being at one with self and by extension the universe.

As 2017 opens in all its vigour, perhaps it’s an appropriate time to recapture the child, recapture the sense of wonder and curiosity that opens the mind to varied experiences.

And through that, may each of us energize ourselves each day as we strive towards our centre. Perhaps then, we may realize that many of those holes aren’t really worth filling.

We already have the bucket that we need to carry that life-sustaining w a t e r .

A very h a p p y, productive and healthy 2017 to all!