Only The Journey Is Written

The hills are covered with soft grass.
Dew is a sweet blanket there each dawn.
Once there was a lovely man
with eyes like water, clear and sweet.
We met by accident. He loved me well.
The hills are covered with the softest grass.
How softly the dew klies there each dawn!
Once there was a lovely man
with eyes like clear sweet water
We met by accident. Oh, he gave me joy.

--Chinese Book of Songs

And not knowing the future can be a great gift, permitting us to live in the glorious present.

After Mir and my little competition, and also our trip to Biltmore the other day, where we took lots of photographs, that 'in the moment' idea is lodged as a creative idea in my mind. I want to be able to take a photograph, not necessarily every day, though every day would be nice, but at least regularly, and to maybe record the thoughts that go through my head as i look at the image I've captured. And in the moment kind of thing, but also not, because of course, it becoming a photograph puts it into the past. However, that taking of that picture is the vehicle by which being in the moment is strengthened.

My meditation of moments; moments of memory; memory of the now.

And all this I'm thinking as I'm sitting here with the other half of my brain counting the days before the school year is done; before I can be with my beloved guy again. Bitter irony that - in every sense of the words... as is welcoming the uncertain future, when I sit worrying about the fact that the presidential election results are announced over here on the day that school is due to finish, if we stick to the time and don't finish early as many fear we will, with so many potential dates for riots and disruptions:

26 April: Final decision on candidates for presidential elections
23/24 May: Presidential elections
2 June: Verdict of the trial of former President Mubarak
16/17 June: Potential run-offs for Presidential election
21 June: Results of Presidential election
30 June: Handover of power from the military to a civilian government

In addition, there will be a referendum on the new Constitution, but the date has not yet been set.

(From the Her Majesty's Consul)