Observing the city, imagining people

oxford with a toddler

I’ve always had a lot of respect for History and Education and that is why I like visiting Oxford so much. An opportunity came last week for us to go there and so we did. I must admit when I am in Oxford I breathe deeper, my senses are sharper and I walk around the city all happy.

I imagine these brilliant minds committed to their subjects, devouring their books, excited about learning and discoveries, often terribly frustrated about their lack of progress. I imagine great debates and seas of questioning, heavy timetables and a rush to complete the next book chapter or lab work. I imagine all this and I like my thoughts. My soul approves of this daydreaming.

Last week I was walking around the city again, and again I looked up at the buildings and I sighed in awe and admiration. My toddler shouted in contentment too… at a few very attractively deep and murky puddles that he saw on the university ground. ‘Right. Reality check,’ I thought to myself.

Look up and down (and sideways too).

autumn leavesChrist Church Oxfordyellow leaf on green grassAutumn

Celebrating Autumn

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tree at night_Postcards without stamps

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Looking for answers

Reading books
There is a pile of books on my bedside cabinet. Years of studying have almost conditioned me to research a little bit before I act, before I implement something new into my routines… This has of course its strengths but can also be quite constricting… I noticed this trend among my friends too… they don’t want to explore, try things out before checking online or before consulting an appropriate How to… book. I wonder where this tendency is coming from and if it is really changing us into better people, parents, workers or whether it leaves us more unsatisfied and frustrated? Is it fear of making mistakes or fear of taking responsibility for our choices? Is it information, perfection or reassurance that we’re seeking?

I love reading books. I will always read but I think I wouldn’t like to condition my child to the behaviour that I’ve described above. I would like him to try to figure things out for himself first, to develop a problem-solver attitude to life. The world needs fresh thinkers, people who are not afraid to try things out, to invent…

I know that books can nurture imagination, that they are important, if not crucial, in our children’s development… but not all the answers are in them… not all.

Indeed, the books do not know what our questions are. They might be answering different ones.

looking for answers

Sunny life

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Just a few memories collected in one spot. The last-but-one photo was taken in Aosta, Italy. The feast of sweet dishes was made by my aunitie in Poland. The large pumpkin was given to me by my neighbour a week ago – my little boy was trying to make a soup out of it for his crocodile. :)

Belief and Doubt

shadow

“Who never doubted, never half believed. Where doubt is, there truth is – it is her shadow.

– Ambrose Bierce