Two Minutes on ANY Subject!

A friend of ours recently attended an interview for a job in Sales, at which, for part of the interview, they were asked to talk for two minutes on a given subject. The sort of subjects chosen are usually things like 'Wood', 'Glass', 'Rock' and so on. I'm sure you get the idea, dear reader! Nothing easy such as where you went on your last holiday or stories about your sporting prowess --- or lack of it --- during your schooldays.

Then this morning, when I went to have a look at Lindsey's Just Enjoy the Journey Blog spot, I read her post for the last couple of days, in which she comments that she wasn't feeling particularly creative at the moment. Understanding exactly what she meant, I posted a comment to commiserate with her, and it was that which reminded me of our friend's recent interview.

Maintaining a Blog can easily become a somewhat onerous task, and it's easy to feel GUILTY if you have left off posting for even ONE DAY! You worry whether people like you, dear reader, will continue to visit, or whether you'll decide it's no longer worthwhile.

Anyway, this business about going on for two minutes about something like 'Wood' reminds me of another occasion, many years ago, when I was in my teens. Several of us were discussing, pondering, and procrastinating, on the subject of matchsticks. The question was set, with a box of matches in front of us on the table, 'What do you see when you look at this box of matches?' The others came up with a variety of answers, mostly about either the production of the matches themselves, the matchbox, or the shops that sold them. When it came to my turn, which was thankfully last, I had managed to have time to think laterally instead of horizontally. 'NO', I don't mean lying down! Just approaching the subject from a different angle.

When I looked at the matches I found myself looking through the eyes of a poet, and I saw the forest where the trees had stood. I smelt the fragrance of the pine-needles as I disturbed them, wandering as I did amongst the trees. I looked upward and saw the sun shining down, breaking into the forest's denseness, dappling the ground around me. I saw the lumberjacks cutting down the trees and heard in my head the screams of the saws in the lumber-yard as the fallen trees were sliced into the planks from which the matches would ultimately emerge, freed through man's efforts as though they had been destined to remain trapped in the tree's trunk for ever.

Finally, I thought of the journey that the finished product would take, perhaps the final destination being to light someones pipe thousands of miles away, releasing the fragrance of their favourite tobacco. That thought transported me back to the forest and the fragrant perfume of the pine-needles on the forest floor. I had travelled the world and come full circle, and all because of a few random thoughts about a box of matches!

I hope you enjoyed the trip with me, dear reader!