My second pondering is on the subject of keys. You may think this strange but the importance of keys struck me particularly the other day when I saw a man on the street who looked like some of the homeless men one sees far too often on city streets. But then I saw that this man had a bunch of keys on his belt. I felt quite startled by this. As I thought about why I felt that way, I realized that keys, for most of us, symbolize that one has access to one or more places that are private and in some sense privileged: do you expect a homeless person to have keys? For keys are for your home or place of work or at least, some place where you have access that others do not. Many of us carry keys - sometimes quite a few. So does having keys give a certain status? Even if it isn't to a mansion..?
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I think that tree is beautiful. The gnarls and knots bear witness to all that it has endured. As we grow older and hopefully wiser, we too acquire signs of wear and tear. Our personalities become evident in the types of wrinkles we develop. So it is a good idea to smile a lot.
The thought of a homeless man with a bunch of keys makes me feel sad. Is he trying to pretend (perhaps both to himself and to others) that he is not in fact homeless? Does he feel that he needs to prove something and that without owning a house or a car he is less than worthy? We should all remember that we and our possessions are impermanent, that we don't really own anything, and that our legacy will be our thoughts, words, and deeds.
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