gifts_of_unknown_things lostgirl possibly one of the most captivating non fiction books i have encountered in this lifetime. lyall watson, a distinguished biologist and nature writer, narrates his fascinating journey to a mysterious island in Indonesia which is fraught with obscurities of nature, strange occurrences, coincidences and out of the ordinary bits of reality that are either explained or left unexplained. he explores the temperament of air, fire, water and earth, in addition to the human drama vs. reality conditions. He also stumbles upon mysteries of leaders, followers, believers, non-believers, religion, healers and the sick….as well as of life and of death. i laughed, i cried, i learned, and i rejoiced at different intervals. i consider myself to posess a fairly elevated awareness level, however i was reminded over and over again about the many fixed ideas that are present within and outside the human collective consciousness. we are certainly indoctrinated into certain “viewpoints” and taught to demand scientific proof before “believing” certain phenomena exist. there are indeed gifts of unknown things all around and everywhere, and the reality is, they need no scientific proof that they exist; they just ARE, and they are begging to be not only noticed, but also tapped into and utilized to their fullest extent. and of course, we all need to learn to appreciate the dance. perhaps the most interesting parts for me were the many different references to the sense of ‘hearing.’ my youngest son has hearing difficulty from a congenital condition. i have been told by the experts that he can hear to a certain degree, yet i’m also aware that he hears differently than others based upon his observations. however, i wonder if he hears in color and images? and particularly if he listens and utilizes all that is contained in silence? thank you, jane for the recommendation….i will certainly pass this on to the next lucky reader. and as far as the coincidence regarding my ‘green flash’ dream on the same night that you read about the green flash for the first time...it is just one of those gifts of unknown things that needs no explanation. 100511 ... jane so envious that you have already completed reading it! i am merely halfway through it (and boy, am i taking my time!) glad that you enjoyed it though. from what little i know of you, it seemed right up your alley...most red_skites' alleys. :) 100511 ... lostgirl oh~jane you must finish this book...you were right; a non-fiction that churns you up inside is definitely worthwhile, and the last part of this story is quite otherworldly. and i learned quite a bit which is always welcome in my world. yes, most definitely right up my alley! thank you again, and i'll always take more suggestions for great books if you've got them. 100511 what's it to you? who go blather from