Eco-philosopher David Orr describes hope as “a verb with the sleeves rolled up.” We have our eye on the ball, nose to the grindstone, and shoulder to the wheel. It is cumbersome to keep working in that position! Despite the wonder of mixed metaphors, each of these phrases speaks of focus and not giving inContinue reading “Sleeves Rolled Up”
Category Archives: Personal
A reminiscence: CMF vs Nasho
When I turned 18, the looming lottery of National Service was on the horizon. In the year males turned 20, marbles were drawn from some mysterious government barrel. If your birthday was on a selected marble, you were “called up” to be a Nasho. This involved 10 weeks of boot camp and two years ofContinue reading “A reminiscence: CMF vs Nasho”
My socials are escaping!
My socials are escaping I don’t know what to doFacebook has gone wildand Twitter’s X’d out too Friends are emigratingFamily’s looking roundInstagram and Messengerand WhatsApp’s where they’re found. BlueSky, Reddit, MastodonIf Meta we would escapeNow how to fit their iconsAcross my phone’s screenscape? LinkedIn, Nextdoor, TumblrPinterest – all set out to inspireAnd find their wayContinue reading “My socials are escaping!”
The Sin of Empathy?
Following more than fifty years of Christian ministry, I heard this phrase for the first time only a day or two ago. As a somewhat amateur confessor long familiar with the seven popular labels for sin (plus some extras), I was intrigued to see how or where empathy might fit in terms of the originalContinue reading “The Sin of Empathy?”
There’s a Mirror in My Study
There’s a mirror in my study‘Robe doors concealing boxesFilled with files and papersOf unsolved paradoxes It makes my room seem twice as bigAnd really much more spaciousWhen at my desk I see myselfI think I’m twice audacious! (c) Dennis Ryle, January 2025
Riding the Trains
Up it popped on a nostalgia siteSouth Australia way back whenAdelaide Station, I recall this sightFrom when I was a boy, aged about ten. Sharing a platform, all agleamThe Overland to Melbourne, great delightAnd a Mt Lofty special getting up steamSAR 522 -mountain engine of might. As if to answer a young boy’s dreamI rodeContinue reading “Riding the Trains”
My car needs oxygen!
It typically runs on 91 but I’ve been advised to run a couple of tankfuls on 98 – the increased octane will be beneficial, my mechanic says. It’s coming up to 230,000 kms. Soon I’ll have to buy it a Zimmer frame! This calls for a haiku. Engine light aglowIt might be low octane fuelBoostContinue reading “My car needs oxygen!”
An Unfortunate Face
A recurring memory of my 15-year-old self, hanging out with some nerdy peers at lunch time in the school quadrangle. Deputy Principal approaches us. “Why are you boys slouching around here when you could be kicking a football on the oval? And, Ryle, what are you smiling at?” Me: “I’m not smiling, sir!” Deputy Principal:Continue reading “An Unfortunate Face”
The fragment in the whole
“A fragment is part of the whole; the whole contains the fragments.” During a busy week filled with interruptions to my interruptions, this phrase hit me in the face (yes, another interruption!). Everything has a place. Everything belongs. We may not understand it now or even strongly disagree with this notion. If we change ourContinue reading “The fragment in the whole”
Morning Stats
My Saturday morning walk to buy a questionable newspaper (solely for the TV guide) takes me past four houses, two apartment buildings, a vacant lot, a tavern, a liquor store, a coffee shop, a florist, and a supermarket, before reaching the Ampol servo where I make my purchase, then return. At 7 a.m the onlyContinue reading “Morning Stats”
Wondering Pilgrim 