punching flowers

touch everything.
I'm learning though, all touch, is not equal.
Cross this world, explore it, find yourself among the fireflies of jungle streams, surfing waves at sunset, or hiking beside friends on volcanos. Touch everything, but touch it accordingly.
At times, I feel as though I am punching flowers.
They were touched... but not in the way they could have been.
Sometimes beauty sits right in my face, pressing its nose against my cheek, and instead of kissing, I bite.

How do I touch a boulder? I grab onto it, my fingers clutching and clawing along the edges. It was made to be climbed; made to be explored without boundaries.

How do I touch water? I swim through it, I wrap myself it it until it nearly consumes me. I dive into it, I wash myself with it.

How do I touch a horse? I touch it with respect, I run my hands along its nose and forehead; slowly, I stroke its shoulders and let my fingers rest along its broad back.

How do I touch fire? I touch it quickly, savoring the warmth that moves across my body. I don't linger there, I enjoy it - but only for a few moments.

How do I touch trees?
How do I touch ice?
How do I touch the face of a child?
How do I touch grass.. or air, or a soft blanket?
How do I touch an elderly person? Or a brother? Or a lover?

Touch is everything. It is the motion of life.
Touch with pleasure... to give pleasure, to receive pleasure, to discover pleasure.
Touch with honesty and with sympathy; touch with power, and with fierceness, and control; touch with tenderness and respect. Touch with awareness.
Punch hard in fights. Be gentle with babies. Give strong massages.




(Andrew Tipton)