Attractive Drabness

Dear Pilgrim Pals:

Here's something I wrote a couple of years ago and recently discovered it. It was posted on PILGRIM SCRIBBLINGS. I thought it was worth sharing with my PALS. Not sure whether I took the picture or not! - David

Recently I picked up my spiritual mentor and took him for a drive in the country complete with coffee and a muffin at a nearby Tim Hortons. As we drove we noted the heavy cloud cover and the intermittent patches of blue. It was a cool, September day and my friend commented on the "attractive drabness" of the sky and the surrounding countryside.

We laughed about his choice of words, my friend being the consumate wordsmith...a quality which I value and appreciate. To make matters worse, this gentleman was holding a picture of my wife Carol when he made the "attractive drabness" remark. I told her later and we laughed.

This was an excellent example of an oxymoron... "a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together".

Attractive - "pleasing in appearance" (Oxford Dictionary)

Drab - "dull and uninteresting" (Oxford Dictionary)

One of my favorite challenges/pastimes is trying to extract a spiritual concept or precept from the everyday occurences in my life. I'm almost at a loss to find "one" for an "attractive drabness". The only one I can come up with is my perception and appreciation of my Amish brethren. There certainly is an attractiveness (to me at least) in their simple, drab appearance. This, by the way, is a compliment to my Amish and Mennonite friends. Black or gray can be very attractive whether it's a dress being worn or a buggy being driven.

Anyhow, I couldn't let the phrase be only a spoken thought. I'm always compelled to write these thing down for what they're worth.

More on this later!

~ David

Note: I took this attractive drab photo of the moon tonight, Sunday, August 26th. It's not stolen, pilfered or borrowed. It's original! I've reformed! - David