Also See: Table of Contents, Excerpt, Endorsements

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william

In memory of Billy Savage, who not only lived by the best ditch in the world and shared it with me when we were children but also started me on a journey to maturity beyond fear.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE
PART I—THE SECRETS OF MY DITCH
CHAPTER 1: A PLACE FOR ALL SEASONS
Seeing A Ditch
Billy
The Ditch and Me

CHAPTER 2: SPRING, THE SEASON OF GENTLE DAYS AND SOFT NIGHTS
Of Little Boys and Frogs
A Galaxy of Frog's Eggs
SNAKE! SNAKE!
A Sparrow Named Melody
The Owls' Time
Redwing's Family
Barn Swallow's Obstacle Course
Killdeer's Camouflage Lesson
Robin's-egg Blue
Mr. Brewer's blackbird
To see a Mole
Whose Burrows are These?

CHAPTER 3: SUMMER, THE SEASON OF BLUE SKIES AND BUTTERFLIES
With the Snap of a Tiger's Head
The Cross-Eyed Planarian
The Gray-Diggers' Triangle
Of Dragons and Damsels
Water Skipper's Secret

CHAPTER 4: AUTUMN, THE SEASON OF FLOATING SPIDER WEBS AND FALLING LEAVES
Towhee's Autumn Visit
The Coon Tree
Soil Erosion in Our Ditch
The Odor in the Night
Strange Droppings
The Trough's Mysterious Depths
Fishing

CHAPTER 5: WINTER, THE SEASON OF SLEEPING TREES AND RAIN
Winter Flood
When the Magic Went Out of the Ditch
Epilog To My Childhood
Transition

PART II—THE REFLECTIONS OF MY POND
CHAPTER 6: CREATING THE POND
The Pond is Born
Soil is Humanity's Stage
The Temporal and Spatial Dimensions of Unity
Filling the Pond
Adding the Fish

CHAPTER 7: LIFE OF THE POND
Getting to Know the Fish
The Passage of Seasons
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

CHAPTER 8: REFLECTIONS
Language, Ideas, and the Freedom of Speech
The Gift of Language
From Whence Ideas?
What Does Freedom of Speech Mean?
The Relativity of Knowledge
The Sacred Land of Ignorance
Two Age-Old Questions
Who Am I?
What Is the Purpose of Life?
Two Masters
Love and fear
The Window of Perception
Life is God's Casino
On Being Right
Ownership
Cycles and Eternity
By a Feather's Weight
The Net of Equality
True Giving
Receiving is the Other Half of Giving
When is a Gift Really a Trade?
A Circumstantial Gift
Beauty and Scale
The Miracle of Insects
Expectations, Hope, and Acceptance
In Search of the Idyllic Isle
Contentment
Choosing Peace

CHAPTER 9: DEMISE OF THE POND
Nature's Masked Raiders
When the Waterfall Lost Its Voice
Mysterious Disappearance
The Dying Pond
From Pond to Flower Bed
Death of a World
Constructing the Flower Bed   (Return to Top of Page)

Excerpt:

I have found, in my sixty-five-plus years, that we humans are engaged in a perpetual practicum saturated with "pop quizzes," or, if you prefer, unexpected tests, each of which deals with a necessary aspect of our lives. For those of you who are not familiar with the term "practicum," it is usually thought of as part of a college course that consists of practical work in a particular field. In this case, the course is Life and the particular field is "Living."

I have also found, as I look back over my life, that it has been choreographed by an inner compulsion, of which Mahatma Gandhi said, "The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within." What the "still small voice" or inner voice is, I don't know, although some people might call it intuition. Nevertheless, it has guided the decisions in the practicum of my life ever since I can remember. When I say it has guided the decisions in my life, I must admit that, in my youth, I did not always listen to it—and I reaped the consequences of turning a deaf ear or a blind eye to the spiritual path along which my inner voice attempted to guide me. It is as though we are made blind to the future that we may learn to trust.

What, you might ask, are the consequences of straying from the spiritual path? The consequences manifest themselves as the circumstances in life—the "pop quizzes" or unexpected tests—that confront each of us with compelling choices to be made. Like every quiz, there are correct and incorrect answers. In the case of life's quizzes, however, we do not get a plus or a minus on a material scorecard as a way of indicating that we either passed or failed. Instead, we know we passed when the circumstance goes away never again to return; conversely, we know we failed when the circumstance reappears, often in another guise, which it will continue to do until we respond in such a way that we earn a passing score.

This said, I find that we each have in our lives a few pivotal events that come to the fore as a series of interrelated circumstances. When such an event and its orchestration of circumstances take place in the youth of our lives, it not only informs us and molds us but also helps establish the direction we ultimately take in our Earthly pilgrimage. For me as a child, it was not so much a single, pivotal event that helped to structure my life as much as it was a place in which to feel safe. That place was a humble, roadside ditch.

If you were to ask me why I have written an entire book based on childhood experiences centered around a roadside ditch and adult experiences centered around a garden pond, I would answer that I have found in both the wonders of the Universe. And it is the gift of wonder—the endowment of everyday life—that I would share with you. As Mother Theresa said: "Life is a promise. Fulfill it." (Return to Top of Page)

Endorsements:

"This deeply philosophical memoir closely examines that place in all of us where the human world intersects with the natural one. His respect and awe for all life is, in Chris Maser's case, a true measure of the man. Read this book. It's for everyone who has ever had a friend or planted a garden."—Virginia White, Writer and Teacher (former Biologist), Institute for Extended Learning, Community Colleges of Spokane, Washington.

"This marvelous book takes us on a deep journey, from the close, rapt attention of a child's eye to the long view of life on this planet. It shows us a true way to connect, through the path of inquisitiveness, to our world and our selves."—Barbara Bash, Author, calligrapher, illustrator, and teacher, Accord, NY.

"Of Ditches and Ponds is a call to remembrance, nested in the ordinary, wondrous landscape of Life. With a naturalist's eye for detail and a philosopher's gift of reason, Chris Maser maps the interconnectedness and the moral beauty of earthly forms. A journey of time and space, a memoir of self and matter, this is an inspiring read."—Doreen Valentine, Acquisitions Editor for Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, NJ; writer; and mother. (Return to Top of Page)


Copyright © Chris Maser 2006. All rights reserved