Day 12 and 13 Gallipoli: A Moment of Colour in Lands Full of Grey

Those who are going through the motions seem to enjoy life to an extent.  I really don’t believe they are seeing all of the beauty, but they’re not missing out on sudden bursts of them.  It’s not hard to miss the little aspects and moments of colour, mainly because they are in such abundance.  The problem is that we seem to program it in our minds that we shouldn’t be looking for them at all times.  There’s a silver lining/zen moment in any situation.  You just need to be aware of it and truly believe it exists.  The most troubling times in our lives have a good intention; a good motive and an honourable lesson.

I have a friend named James David who once asked for some advice during a decision he held as very important.  Of all the words I told him, none conveyed more importance than the idea of knowing: “There is never nothing going on.”  He came up to me one night and told me about how his day was about teaching that same concept to one of his friends.  He was walking through the mall and his friend ran into him.  She asked why he was walking slowly and being very quiet.  James’ words were: 

“You’re using a spoon and I’m using chopsticks.”

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Now this may seem weird to some, but it has a good message.  Watch a proper Japanese meal with chopsticks and then watch one from Europeans eating with either their hands or a spoon.  Which person seems to really take in their surroundings and notice everything around them?  The point is to relax.  Look for the silver lining and attempt to find some zen moments during a hard time.  James may have noticed a small boy reacting in joy to a trip to the toy section in Big W  instead of hearing a child screaming.  

He probably could smell the aroma of fresh produce and respect the care it took for people to give us food as some countries are searching high and low for it.  He may have even caught a glimpse of a young or old couple smiling at each other and laughing as they showed genuine happiness.  He has the ability to see this now because he knows that simple pleasures and emotions are just as important as being a lottery winner or a worker with a Christmas bonus.  Moreover, he knows he can’t see it if he isn’t paying attention.  He would be able to see what our students have seen on this trip.  He would tell them that there is never nothing going on.  The students from ASSG noticed something which gave them some moments of simplicity.

Sitting next to so many graves were the flowers of so many regions we have seen.  The vibrant colours overpower the dullness of the feelings you first experience when seeing a cemetery.  Blues, reds, violets and hints of orange calm you in a way only a few things in life can.  The first kiss as a young kid, the moment when you win a championship and the taste of the first cold drink on a summer’s day feel quite the same.  Sometimes taking pictures as you travel aren’t needed.  Sometimes just looking in silence at a landscape instead of taking a panorama is what the soul needs.  Sometimes the smells and sounds of a forest above the hills of a Turkish cemetery treat you to the knowledge that you are out seeing a world others will not have the privilege of seeing.

Colour illuminates the soul, quenches our thirst for experience and excitement, and it makes us believe that the world is not as dark as we sometimes think.  Why would a bunch of kids take pictures of flowers all of the time?  They do it because they know they are looking at flowers that have bloomed next to someone who fought to make sure they can get back on a flight to their loved ones in Australia.  They took them because they find its simplicity truly comforting.  I have never been so proud to call myself a teacher at All Souls St. Gabriels.  These past few days in Turkey have allowed us all to see that which paints the blank canvas of our minds into a beautiful perception.  Thank you Turkey.  Thank you Souls.

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Flowing freely amongst his grave,

A simple bloom blows near his name.

It’s not his choice, nor of his kin,

It blooms in the wild from within.

The dead still call across the lands,

Across the oceans and through the sands,

We hear the wind sing through the trees,

It’s his heroic voice saying: remember me.

Remember my name and my sacrifice,

For the colours you cherish came at a price.

Fierce fiery red, great glowing green,

Remember my brothers and remember me.

The etching of my name has faded with time,

The stone is chipped and stained with lime.

A lonely orange lily protects my mark,

And lightens your spirit in the desperate dark.

Through pale moonlight and teary skies,

These blossoms grow when nature sighs.

If you see me now and start to weep,

Just take this rose and let me sleep.

I’ve seen the horrors of a world confused,

With a stench of death and fear infused.

Yet now these flowers stand by my name,

I have died with honour in a world of shame.

I was a husband, father, brother and friend,

I’m a loss this tulip shall heal and mend.

Love us now as you love Earth’s mother,

May you love me like you love no other.

Relax and live the life you deserve,

But know it came from those who serve.

Use the colours of the world we leave,

And remember us; remember me.

-- Mitch Sokolowski, April 2013