Oh yes, the first assignment after
returning from vacation; what did you do (learn) on your vacation?
I discovered the beauty of the chateaus of
the Loire Valley. Some things never age or lose their beauty. The architecture
and design is as beautiful today as it was hundreds of years ago. They stand as
monuments to an era of wealth and opulence.
I stepped back in time as I visited the
WWII memorial in Bayeux. Even though I was not alive during the war I could not
help, but feel an emotional tug and an over whelming feeling of gratitude. My
hope is that we never see another war, but sadly as long as humans have existed
there has been fighting for territory and power. The desire to conquer is a
powerful drive often led by men who feel inferior and so seek to impose a sense
of false superiority by killing and destroying.
I learned why France is the home to
Leonardo Di Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Seems the Italians were angry with him for his
scientific endeavors. The French were only too willing to welcome him and make
us of his contraptions. When he left Italy he brought with him in a leather satchel
three paintings one of which was the Mona Lisa. He died in Le Clos in this bed.
Monet had the most magnificence garden and lily
pond. Although his house was simple the grounds were exquisite. Later in Paris
I was able to see the lily pond painting in the Museum Orsay. Although I have always
admired Monet I now can feel the emotion and expression of the beauty he
captured.
There is more to Picasso than meets the
eye. We went to the Picasso museum which houses the largest collection of Picassos
in the world. We took a guided tour, which I would highly recommend. It changed
my perception of Picasso forever. He was the eternal child.
It is through our senses that we experience
the world. But it is the sixth sense that guides the soul and the soul is
eternal. It never ages; it simply matures. The tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn
are not really that popular, but are worth the visit. The Clony Museum houses
all six. The unicorn’s horn is believed to protect one from any disease or
poison. So I presume that the unicorn is present to protect all the senses and thereby
give us the full joyous experience of all the smells, sights, tastes, touches,
sounds and intuitive notions of life.
Aging brings with it a dulling of the senses.
The tapestries remind us that if we believe in the magic of the unicorn our
sense of the world will always be youthful and playful and that is one of the
secrets to pro-active aging!
What did I learn? The world is a beautiful place
full of interesting stories, places and times. The wonder of curiosity and the
willingness to learn is one of the great secrets to staying young. You are
never too old to learn something new. In two short weeks I studied history, art
and the French language. It’s good to be a student! That’s Pro-active Aging!
Just keep walking and exploring!
Doctor Lynn
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