Tuesday 8 January 2013

Turning over a new leaf



Do you think it's possible, really, for a person to change? I've known people in their 90's who have told me that they still feel like the same person they were when they were 17. As for myself, I still like drawing and writing just as much as I did when I was a child. Cheesy, sentimental music can still bring tears to my eyes just like the first time I watched the movie 'Beaches' and left the cinema sobbing. And I have never, ever been able to tolerate the taste of caraway seeds. Yuck.

But even if some things about us always stay the same, there are other things we have choices about so that we can make changes. Just like this ornamental Manchurian pear tree leaf who chose to buck convention and wear stripes of different colours instead of the usual green. It’s still the same leaf, just with a fresh new style.

For the time being, I'm starting small. I'm taking my cues from nature. I may always shy away from caraway seeds, but I can try on some new stripes.

2 comments:

  1. The older I get, the more I notice the marked characteristics of my parents in me. I notice similarities in ways of speaking in my distant cousins. Certain traits flow in the blood. And yet I do believe there are aspects of us that we can choose to change by being aware of them when they surface. I think the metaphor of your lovely drawing of the Manchurian pear tree leaf in its new style is a perfect example.

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    1. Thanks Priya, mmm, genetics are a funny thing. I agree with you. Whilst there are some things that families share, I like to think that each generation starts afresh with their own unique gifts and talents. Then there is the nature/nurture debate. Not to mention studies of twins who have been raised apart and leading uncannily similar lives. I believe however that we are not slaves to our ancestry. There is always a choice.

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