Rosie, Mike Skinner and me

I've been thinking about Rosie, and how much I love her.

Buddhist thought suggests that clinging to stuff is the source of all suffering. Can I love her this much, and not set myself up for some suffering down the line?

For me, the key is to remember in my loving that I'm only ever borrowing her. I can love looking at her red dashboard, and driving her through town, without feeling that she is MINE.

It's the same with the cottage we rent from a country estate. We love living here, but it isn't ours. We just borrow it. Even when we have a mortgage, we're only borrowing our houses.

In the words of that wise old sage, Mike Skinner aka The Streets:

I came to this world with nothing
And I leave with nothing but love
Everything else is just borrowed

The way I see it, I can love Rosie as much as I like, as long as I don't start clinging. If someone drives into her, I'll love her with her battered sides. If someone steals her, I'll say goodbye and get a new car. There. Now I'm going to gaze at her shiny red dashboard again.

In other news, there's a charming book review of The Blue Handbag on a blog called Badelynge. I like the way the author slides from reviewing into his own personal musings and then back into reviewing again. And Leonard would DEFINITELY watch Springwatch.

(here are convenience links to pre-order the paperback from The Book Depository (£5.99 for the book and free worldwide delivery) / Amazon UK / Amazon US or to treat yourself to the hardback The Book Depository / Amazon UK ).