23:15 - 19/07/17

State of mind: awe; deep-thought; curious.
Perspective: universal; philosophical.

Thoughts: from conversations - about microcosms and macrocosms. About the uncanny similarities of the small and large of natural phenomena.

Questions: Why can all the cells in the body get along with their differences but humans are incapable of this? If we fear what we do not understand, does that mean love is the path to understanding?

18:00 - 16-07-17

State of mind: sadness, deep thought.
Perspective: philosophical; spiritual.

- GAME OF THRONES SPOILER ALERT -

Thoughts: from watching - Game of Thrones. Series 6, episode 5 - 'The Door'.

In memory of Hodor. We will never forget the strength and servitude you gave to keep Bran alive. That kept hope alive.

Something unreal can still be a vessel for what is true about reality. Fantasy, legends, the spirit of myth and make-believe... stories give us our values, teach us wisdom, and truth. They are a retreat in memory or reading, a silent place of honesty, when all around us the world is riddled with lies, deceit and corruption. They are the pillars of religion, the backbone of our beliefs, the conversations with old friends over coffee, or a pint.

Questions: none.

13:10 - 16/07/17

State of mind: blissful; calm.
Perspective: natural; philosophical.

Thoughts: from thinking - the reason we can draw parallels between human, natural, even universal behaviours so easily is because they are all connected. The information of one feeds into another. That is why our mood is affected so strongly by things such as the moon's gravitational pull or polar levels of sunlight.

I swear cultural temperaments are born of such simple things as the weather. This links in to how an environment shapes you. If you want to change or discover who you are, do so with your environment. You will be forced to adapt to it (or force it to adapt to you). Successful or not, keep changing how you live until you find something you're comfortable with... somewhere you were born to be.

Listening to: David Bowie - Changes.

Questions: Does success mean different things to different people?

18:30 - 13/07/17

State of mind: calm; rested.
Perspective: natural; philosophical.

Thoughts: from thinking - about rest and recovery. The soul sings best when it is well rested.

Unseen and deep within the dormant volcano, there is lava flowing.

Questions: none.

Listening to: Coldplay - A Sky Full of Stars

21:20 - 09/07/17

State of mind: joy; peaceful.
Perspective: personal; spiritual.

Thoughts: from thinking - about impossible dreams. There is something instinctive about striving after goals that are hard to reach or have never even been thought of before. To achieve this is to have walked the road less travelled.

The fourth part - 'the road less travelled' - is inspired by M Scott Peck's book of the same title. The overall message of the book correlates with that of this dyad, which is that love is not necessarily a feeling but an activity... such as a dance, I would say.

Questions: would you care to dance?

Listening to: Ed Sheeran - Perfect.

17:00 - 08/07/17

State of mind: calm; thoughtful.
Perspective: empirical; spiritual.

Thoughts: from observations - of watching crops in the garden swaying with the breeze. The storm is analogous with struggle. People who know they can fight through something stick at it. There's silence in knowing the storm will pass.

Questions: how far can the stem bend before it is broken? Know thyself...

Listening to: Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence

14:30 - 08/07/17

State of mind: focused; contemplative.
Perspective: empirical; philosophical.

Thoughts: from observations - of turning the tap on too much, by mistake, and watching the water swill around the concave of the cups base, only to rebound back.

Be patient and gentle and things will gradually sink in.

A metaphor for the mind.

Questions: none.

23:30 - 07/0717
State of mind: calm; deep thought.

Thoughts: from thinking - about faint memories, ideas that are hard to grasp... subtle touches. This expression represents the fleeting moment. Their brevity, here in an instance, then gone forever.

In Celtic folklore, the hazel tree is a symbol of creativity and wisdom.

Questions: none.

Listening to: Christina Grimmie - With Love

23:15 - 06/07/17
State of mind: calm; tired.

Thoughts: from dreams - of being stuck in a maze. As soon as you grabbed my hand, we both knew the way out. As you focused on where we needed to go, I remembered where we had been.

Questions: none.

Listening to: Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

18:50 - 04/07/17
State of mind: optimistic; thoughtful.

Thoughts: from thinking - about how people who get on really well just seem to set each other in motion. As if it is a chain reaction.

Hope and persistence can overcome a great many obstacles. But people are usually given hope. So, optimism is a valuable thing to carry around with you.

Questions: If, as it is said, a smile is contagious, how far can optimism be spread?