The Community of Surprise

On the bus from the Radisson Blue Dublin Airport hotel to the Killarney Park hotel (where our Jung in Ireland event “Awakening our Undiscovered Selves: New Possibilities” is happening — with Chris as the first presenter on “The Lure of the New”) we sat in front of a woman named Renate. When she heard my name, Renate quoted John O’Donohue “I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” I know that quote well thanks to a beautiful fabric art wall hanging (that contains the quote) which was a gift from my frirnd Suzanne. In one of those uncanny synchronicities that Jung wrote about and that seem to occur in gatherings under the Jungian influence (and perhaps also under the influence of that Irish charm and storytelling gift known as blarney?), Renate also did similar work to Suzanne in education and community organizing in service to indigenous people in the central coast region of California and was equally passionate about the people and her work with them. So conversation with her, like most conversations here, lit up memories and connections with other times, places and people. 

Chris and I arrived in Dublin the morning of Apr 3 and our first “bump” on the trip (not all surprises are fun!) was that her suitcase didnt show up. As we waited in line at baggage service, assured that it would probably arrive April 4 on the same flight and that they would drive it to Killarney if our bus had already left, we felt very glad that Chris had thought to carry her lecture notes with her. We walked to the airport hotel, napped, and then had a short walk back to and around the airport and vicinity. I was delighted to discover a church, Holy Mother Queen of the Sky, with abstract stained glass stations of the cross and a sculoture garden. The play of light in the church from the very bold and bright (and bloody?) red and purple tones of the stations of the cross (with their story of cruelty and suffering), contrasted with the more elevated stained glass windows that were calm and soothing tones of light blue and grey-green. I later learned that the church was designed by an Irish architect Andrew Devane, who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright (he wrote Wright that he couldn’t decide if Wright was one of the greatest architects ever or a complete phony and Wrighr invited him to come and find out). I also learned that the sculptor of the holy mother with raised arms (Imogen Stuart) and the glass artist (Helen Maloney) were both Irish and women which I like knowing. 

The surprise of just chancing to discover a special place like this, without having known it existed, is one of the things I love about travel. 

I also loved finding a hedge garden design giving the name of the airport in Irish, using the name Dublin had before it was Dublin, when it was called Ath Cliath - Ford of Hurdles. The village existed presumably at a place where the River Liffey grew shallow at low tide making it possible to ford it, and “hurdles” were mats woven from branches to make it possible to cross over the soft wet river bed. I was struck that these woven mats were also used as hurdles to jump over, hence the modern meaning of hurdles as obstacles or difficulties. I like thinking of a place of crossing by walking on hurdles - using one’s obstacles and difficulties as a support for a crossing - as thematic for the beginning of our journey (and this conference). 

Because the next flight from Toronto to Dublin wouldn’t arrive until after 8am and our bus was to leave Killarney at 9:30am (and baggage unloading had been very slow) we didnt think there was any chance of recovering the lost baggage until the afternoon or evening of April 4. (Which by the way - 4/4 - was the fourth birthday of our great granddaughter Cora, daughter of granddaughter Amanda. Cora painted a beautiful poster sized painting of colorful stylized fours - cheered on by her math-teacher-aunt Ashley, and news of this celebration brings back memories of when those two sisters at 11 and 13 travelled with us to Europe. What a gift to us that time with them was, and the memories still are.)

BUT - lo and behold my phone rang just before 9! Dublin airport baggage service had recovered Chris’s suitcase ans they brought it to us as we lined up for the bus. We were surprised by its coming so soon! Its funny how sweet it is when the mishaps and misadventures of travel are straightened out or endured. (Fording on hurdles?)

The bus trip included a lunch stop at a restored historical town called Adare. I fell in love with a big old gray monastery there. 

We arrived finally at the hotel - settled into our large luxurious suite feeling a little like royalty and enjoyed the orientation and introductions - the people who come to these events tend to lead  very very interesting lives, to love learning and to form powerful communities of - shall we call them communities of surprise at their own unfolding? Or communities of crossing by hurdles?

Well, we’re off to a great start despite the fact that my inner clock is all off and I am composing this between 2am and 4am here (which is i think between 6pm and 8pm yesterday there - isnt that an odd thought?)

So goodbye for now and thank you SO MUCH for visiting this blog when you can and being part of our community of surprise and fording by hurdles, and motivating and so making possible these reflections. 

Coming soon: The Lure of the New