simple free being

"Butterflies" by Odilon Redon (1840-1916) French Symbolist Painter & Printmaker
“Butterflies” by Odilon Redon

Soon the child’s clear eye is clouded over by ideas and opinions, preconceptions and abstractions. Simple free being becomes encrusted with the burdensome armor of the ego. Not until years later does an instinct come that a vital sense of mystery has been withdrawn. The sun glints through the pines, and the heart is pierced in a moment of beauty and strange pain, like a memory of paradise. After that day we become seekers.
~ Peter Matthiessen
(Visionaries: The 20th Century’s 100 Most Important Inspirational Leaders)

14 thoughts on “simple free being”

    1. Very happy that you enjoyed the Redon painting and the Matthiessen quote, Leigh! I welcome you to my quirky little blog and am looking forward to exploring yours!

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the Odilon Redon painting, Rosie – it’s the second one I’ve used so far. The quote is one of my all-time favorites. 🙂

  1. Like Rosie, I am stunned by that quote about becoming seekers. Never thought of it like that–but it’s SO true! Thank you, Barbara.

    1. You’re so welcome, Kathy! It’s wonderful how the internet finds ways to connect those of us who have become seekers at some point in our lives…

    1. You’re welcome, Joanne – it’s nice to know that someone all the way on the other side of this planet appreciates the wonder of this experience…

  2. This writing by Peter Matthiessen sharply pointed to my experience as a young child experiencing the natural world. I am writing about this in my memoir…and here is a perfect lead-in. Thank you, Barbara.

    1. You’re welcome, Monica! The experience that Peter Matthiessen describes resonates with my memories of childhood awareness in nature, too. The familiar sense of simple free being – how I treasure it when it returns…

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