Frog free zone, anyone?

In strong contrast to my usual practise, today's post shall be highly personal, if only so that others pursuing the spiritual life have no ideas that those doing so are any less 'nuts' (see my March archive) than those who do not. Not that, for example, it ever was denied that the English Church had some rather extravagantly eccentric characters (acceptable for the upper class - working class kids like myself are just 'crazy.') I understand that the Orthodox actually have a deep affection for the larger nut cases in their history - witness that Saint Simeon Stylites is honoured, rather than an embarrassment.

I believe, if I search hard enough, I shall find my lineage stretches to John the Divine. (Too bad I've learnt he is not the Evangelist, if indeed the evangelist was the apostle, and the apostle was 'the beloved.' I was born on the feast of John the Evangelist - or Apostle - and always felt affinity with one who was not only highly loving and steadfast but had his days of wanting to call down fire from heaven.) You'll recall how, in Revelation, John sees the evil spirits come forth as frogs. Though I have never had any visions (thank heavens), were I to see evil spirits that is precisely the form they would take. I am deathly afraid of frogs. For some reason, they remind me of evil.

Having always lived in large cities, I obviously was not likely to have any evil spirit figure hopping by - and I imagined that frogs were way off in very rural ponds. (I never was one to take chances, nonetheless. One of my good friends lives in Basildon, yet I've never been to her house, because I know the creatures hop by now and then. Nor did I ever visit a friend's house in North London, because his neighbour was a frog-o-phile.) It was only with my recent flat-hunting (never a fun prospect in any case) that I learnt that, even within this urban area, the very places where buildings that could be propects are located are near (I would imagine, manufactured) streams and ponds. And, somehow, from near and far, the frog community is always finding new homes.

I have resigned myself to that lower income people are not going to make those selling properties leap for joy. I have learnt that 'immaculate' means stripped to the bare bones - that "park like atmosphere" means 'next to a boarded warehouse' and so forth. Yet never did I imagine that, in a city, one would have to say 'frog free zone.' Nor that the only places available within my budget are near these blasted ponds.

Were I Francis of Assisi, I suppose I'd go out and preach to them - some ecstatic little sermon to Brother Frog. Not likely. I'm more inclined towards the fairy stories which have the same imagery for the creatures that there was in Revelation.

And now, to hide somewhere.... because I just know that I have new readers today, who otherwise might find my site helpful if not edifying, who are retreating at my nuttiness.