what a surprise, mr. bach!

it was my good friend and mentor, Jose, who introduced me to the works of Richard Bach. we were avid students and practitioners of this wonderful way of Life called Mysticism.  in a nutshell, we found out there is a way to soar beyond mere body consciousness.  there are methods that have been practiced and proven by the Masters and Sages that one can practice as well.  doing so will afford one the opportunity to explore and know one's Self.  knowing the Self will lead one to his true identity.  knowing who one truly is brings Freedom.

this is what Richard Bach told in his book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. this seagull was able to rise beyond the traditional way of life of his flock.  he discovered he is a bird of flight.  he is not of the ground.  his true identity is Flight.  to ride the wind, to pierce the sunlit clouds, to kiss the Sky.  Flight is Freedom.  i remember this is one of the Conditions of a Solitary Bird which that great mystic San Juan dela Cruz wrote about -- " it flies to the highest point ".

anyway, i still have the copy of that book with me. it is old but it is a treasure. i remembered having bought it as a gift for the woman who'd eventually be my wife. she took care of it and i hope one day my daughter will find the urge to know Jonathan.

a couple of days ago, i was whiling time inside a mall and I decided to visit one of the bookstores there.  i am hunting for a book on the Dalai Lama, the present one, which i am wanting to give a friend.  as i was scouring the book shelves there, there was this one book that jutted out. I pulled it out and it was a copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. it was a bigger size than the one I have.  I opened it and there i saw the familiar pictures of the seagulls that accompanied the text.  i was about to return it to the shelf when my eye caught a notification at the back cover -- unabridged edition, includes the missing Part Four.

wow! what a pleasant surprise, Mr. Bach!

it is just now that I knew there was a fourth part.  i bought my copy in 1989!  it's been years.. and now it is staring in my face, my copy is incomplete and yet I have mined it for all its worth of Wisdom's golden nuggets. Jonathan's story has a different ending ..

unfortunately, this complete edition costs so dear.  i will just have to wait till I can afford it.  the store assistant had been eyeing me since i went inside the bookstore.  no private reading, the sign said.

can't help it. curiosity got the better of me.  i had to skim over the missing Part Four.  as fast as  i can.

i promise Mr. Bach, i'll get this complete edition soon as i can afford it. i eagerly skimmed over this fourth part just silently gliding over the most important keywords.  the keywords gave me a general idea of this missing portion of the book.

i smiled when i finally closed the book. the store assistant still has his gaze fixed on me. 

the last Condition of a Solitary Bird is this --

It sings very softly.