Listened to a Tree's Talk in my Heidelberg

Dear Friends,

Thank you for reading my blog. A very happy surprise, today, 710 people have already visited this blog and looked at my profile since the start, 16 Feb 2010. This is my first try to run a blog and I'm a "hopelessly" poor computer user. I'd like to say special thanks to anyone who has read this blog.

I'm busy with these things:
1) ready for the exhibition at KuRingGai art society
Monday 15 to Sunday 21 March
St Ives shopping centre, Mona Vale Road St Ives
9am to 5:30pm (9pm on Thursday)
Hopefully, someone will buy the framed work, "the acorns and the leaves."
2) negotiating a local "Information Centre" that shows a great interest in my art work
3) Australian Society Authors annual meeting in Redfern this Saturday.
I make art works for competitions In between these hectic things.

After the hard work, I felt like having refreshing. So, I drove down to see my another friend, an old oak tree... at uni.

When I was at primary school, I really loved the story, "Le Chêne parlant : French (‘The Talking Oak Tree’ *translated in English)" written by a French novelist, George Sand on Emmi and an old oak tree. An orphan Emmi fled to a mysterious 500 yrs old oak tree that villagers said it spoke. Even though the oak tree said, "get out!" at first, the kind oak tree allowed Emmi to live in his hollow. In the story, I saw a contrast between greedy adults and an innocent and pure child's view. Also, there were nice people in society who helped Emmi. The story had a happy ending, but it said "The tree does not talk any more. Or, there's no one can listen to the tree like Emmi." I always wonder/ed if I can/could have good ears to listen to our mother nature, I can hear their voices.
(*Japanese translated story: "ものを言う樫の木")

I saw the oak tree that stood besides our stone building. "Hi, Old Friend, " we smiled at each other.
In a cool wind, I felt like sketching the old building. While I was sketching it, I could hear many students and lecturers talk in a breeze...
"...yeah, so-and-so theory and the argument is..." full of big words.
Or full of youth and happiness...
"..let's get together. Yep. Hahahaha!! Bye now!" with light steps.

People began to stop and looked at my watercolor.
"Wow, pretty nice! Cheers!!" "That's gooood!" The bouncing voices were from students. Unlike cheeky students, lecturers gave me compliments in a very good manner.

Ah, uni, an atmosphere is wonderful. Full of freedom. There, as if, time stays young forever. But where are my friends and me, student Sadami? No, they were in the past. Today, I'm an artist. Each friend moved onto a different direction in society.

Today, students carry mobile phones and compact PCs. We did not have them and often stayed at Fisher Library to finish up essay writings till late in the evening...but we enjoyed a chat and gossips over computers rather than assignments.


I remembered another story/play, "Alt Heidelberg" (=アルトハイデルベルグ) written by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster.
Well, I felt I came here to see the oak tree in "my" Alt Heidelberg.... I knew no one except this tree on a campus...

Ooops! I nearly forgot old lecturers, a university habitat. I secretly called them,
"academia NUTs" and friends so much loved my definition.
When I was finishing the watercolor, I came across my lecturer. Thank goodness, I do not have an assignment any more!
"That's beautiful, Sadami!" Oh, she remembered this naughty girl and a great underachiever's name. We had a bit chat. Lecturers were crazy busy with marking at the end of the semester.

"All the best!" the lecturer said with a nice smile.
"Thank you!" Sadami waved at her.
Unlike that story "Alt Heidelberg," I have a bright future full of hope and a direction to go as an artist. I whispered bye to the tree and went home.

It's not bad to take a rest for a while and look back. But we cannot stay in the past. The present is all for me. To maximize this moment is critical. It makes my future. Also, your heaps cheers help me move forward.

When I see young students at uni or on a street, I always tell them, "Do whatever you want to do. Be silly. Only once you are young!" Yes, I want young people to go every direction while they are young. I believe a noun, "experiment" and a noun, "experience" should have a same origin(*if not, linguistics prof, please chide me?!). "Go freak!" is my advice for young guys.

Friends, and if you are lonely and weary, I'll send you my cheers from here through this blog. You are not alone. Let us move onto tomorrow. Sure, your future awaits you.

Me, this tiny acorn grows to be an oak tree!

Listened to a Tree's Talk in my Heidelberg