Stacy, Donnie, Teresa, you kids come here and sit down. I want to talk to you about something. Do you remember when you were little and your dad broke the slide on your swing set? Do you remember what we did?
We got a new one that day at the K Mart.
Do you know why we did that? Because sometimes people break things on accident, and the best way to deal with that is to fix it if you can or get a new one if you can't. There wasn't no way to fix that slide after your father had ruined it. You can't tape up plastic and expect it to act like brand new.
The reason I'm talking to you about this now is because there are some folks at the library from the other side of the world. They're from Tibet, which as you all know, is basically China at this point. And some folks would say it always has been despite the distinct cultures, but now I'm just rambling. The Tibetans are making sand mandalas. These mandalas are intricate, 2-dimentional sand sculptures meant to suggest the 3-dimentional environment we live in, all while recognizing their various deities, tradition, etc.
Then, once they have completed these works of art, they destroy them. There are various ways they do this, but I'd rather not get into it.
Their message? Well it's that all life is transitory, especially the physical world, and we should practice detachment, or a mild apathy towards the things around us. Life is constant change and we shouldn't expect any different. This is the poison they spread.
And while it's none of my business what people on the other side of the world believe, I will not let such thoughts infect my home, my husband, or my children. Do you understand?
Please stay away from the Tibetan sand mandalas.
Because when change happens, we can always get something to make life like it was before.
At the K Mart.
