Blog 3955 – 09.21.2026
Ancient Ruins
I recall an epic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner that we studied back in the olden days in high school. The tale spoke of an ancient seafaring man, probably even younger than I am, who bore a curse from his youth for having shot and killed with his bow a albatross, the symbol of good luck to sailors, which we learn from the poem was an act highly frowned upon by the sea gods. Because of his act, a curse also came upon the crew of the ship and being stranded for weeks on a windless sea an all but he died of thirst and starvation. Later the old seaman finds an appreciation for all forms of life, blessing even the sea snakes, and his curse is lifted except for one thing, he is compelled to tell his story to everyone he meets for the rest of his days.
Some times I feel like the ancient mariner, doomed to tell my story over and over whether anyone wants to hear it or not. I do try to make it entertaining, enlightening, and encouraging, but you, readers and listeners, must be the judge of how successfully I accomplish that three pronged goal.
At other times I feel like the children in today’s picture having come upon some ancient ruin from the past and trying to explore and understand its mysteries. If we live long enough we begin to see ourselves in large part as an ancient ruin from the past. But then as Frank Sinatra sang, “Fairytale can come true, it can happen to you, if you’re young at heart.”
Your friend and fellow traveler,
David James White
Young At Heart
theencouragingword 