Curious Distraction

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Mick
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Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 2:19 am
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Curious Distraction

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Lhesha paused at the edge of the copse of trees. She scanned the meadow ahead and the opening in the thicket just beyond before she noticed the most remarkable flowering vine creeping up the side of the duskwood tree she had chosen as a lookout post. Arranged along the meandering chain that clung to the thick duskwood bark were what seemed to be a series of yellow blossoms the size of her thumb. However, what appeared as single flowers from afar were actually revealed as cymes of numerous smaller florets, each with a tiny white center. The most distal were of the lightest hue and those further back and out more richly colored. The effect of the whole was to appear as a single golden bud whose center bordered on white. Momentarily held by its detail, she found her appreciation wandering into reflection. Her mind was straying close to introspection when she remembered where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. She looked out again into the meadow, trying to get a fix on her compatriots.

She thought she had seen Cain slip into that far opening and thought she saw some movement in the tall grass to its left that she was somewhat certain had been Dorian, following Cain’s lead. She thought she had seen them passing, but her fascination with the parasitic floral arrangement had distracted her.

Always distracted. Or curious. Or most often…both.

Lhesha had been fighting inquisitive distraction for as long as she could remember. Whether it was her father trying to impress the importance of her letters as a child, her mother demanding precision in every stitch she threw, or Brother Roric’s insistence that she actually not speak during meditation, ever had she welcomed the interruptions spawned by her own curiosity. It was only after she learned of her possible gift that her curiosity and distraction would come to serve her, but even that did not follow easily.

Brother Roric had known from the beginning what this young girl from Everlund was seeking. Whether or not he believed in her distant special ancestry was immaterial. He had been tasked--and it was a task in those early days--with taking her on as a student. His initial reticence at providing tutelage was borne more of skepticism regarding how serious she could be throughout the course of training than of any doubt about her raw talent. When study was joined, however, was when he realized just how much of a task the work of training and the development of focus in the young seamstress was going to be. Despite the taxing nature of being her teacher, though, Roric inexplicably found himself drawn to the challenge. To Roric, taking her on as a pupil and helping her become came to be an act of faith and service and, consistent with the nature of faith, he took the steps of service without knowing precisely where the path would lead.

Roric recognized ability within her. She was strong and agile and came to quickly master any physical challenge set before her. He realized in short order that she heard everything, but the noise both around and within her often kept her from truly listening. After years of meditation and exercises of the mind, she eventually became a good listener, at least when it came to the things she was keen to listen to. Lhesha was not brilliant, save in her enthusiasm and determination, both of which allowed her to quickly recover from setbacks. She was, however, insightful beyond her years and Roric often wondered if her gravitation to distraction allowed her to see more clearly into the depth of things. It was his own curiosity about this that led to the epiphany that, in turn, became Lhesha’s moment of enlightenment.

Realizing that her deepest desire was to learn more about her special ancestry and whatever unique kernel lay dormant within her as a result, Roric hit upon the path to success in her training. Roric had encouraged Lhesha to be curious not about the method of construction of the Matins’ arching pillars or the type of clouds most likely to produce a driving snow, but rather to pursue curiosity about what lay within her. He had suggested that allowing for distraction by what she found there might hold her focus long enough to achieve some manner of improvement of self. He enticed her further to the idea by intimating that if she were harboring the blood of dragons, that only by being curious about her own mind and soul and being distracted by her own desire to draw out the power in that blood would she be successful in finding the truth.

After this change in approach, the change in Lhesha and her training came quickly. Within a moon, she became a much more serious student. She soon spent more and more time in meditation, delving into her own mind. This familiarity eventually allowed her in those times to push outside distractions to the margins of her awareness. Her meditation became about clearing away the din of her own fears and concerns. It became about making room for her own quiet and it was that internal silence that proved a fertile field for new discoveries of faith and self and faith in herself.

Speaking of fields…Lhesha again systematically surveyed the one before her. The only movement she saw was that of the treetops, gently swaying in the early evening breeze. Coming out of the southwest, she thought. She took a few steps, trying to listen as she crept forward. Turning her head slightly, she strained to hear any hint of her friends’ movements. If she could just focus, she should be able to pinpoint them. Unfortunately, her awareness was distracted by how unbelievably loud her own steps and breathing were in the otherwise quiet meadow.

She briefly smiled at the irony of the moment when the goblin’s arrow found her.
Talk less. Listen more.

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