Balance is all around

The stay in Cork has served us well, a good nights sleep and a tour around the grounds of UCC with Maddie. For us, the next stop along the parade route was a trip to the Blarney castle for a chance to kiss the sacred stone.

Blarney is just North of town, less than 15 kms. The ride out was hair raising, but we survived, evidently confirming that the luck of the Irish is alive and well. Once again, the countryside we viewed was beautiful. It's hard yet to imagine how green things will become once the warmer weather comes, but I am sure it is breath taking.

Even from the confines of Blarney itself, the castle, in spite of its magnificence and presence, can not be seen virtually until you get onto the grounds. Its very size offered an imposing sight, so I can imagine how safe you might have felt behind its walls. The grounds were springing to life with the sun shining and the temperatures rising.

Upon entering the castle, I realized that I was about to ascend a nearly 10 story building, and I am deathly afraid of heights and small confined spaces, 2 things that there were plentiful on this tour. However, my brother reassured me that the castle has been standing for several centuriess, and it was highly unlikely that it was going to fall down today, certainly at this exact moment in time. I almost immediately could feel my pulse rate drop to some tolerable level. Of course, you can't climb the castle and then not kiss its most famous stone. So, without too much angst, I positioned myself like so many have before me and accomplished the task at hand, no fan fare but it made me awfully dizzy.

The lore suggests that by kissing the stone, one will gain a sense of eloquence. The blarney will be gone, or at least according to legend anyway. I am not exactly sure that I have gained this new sense of eloquence, but I certainly enjoyed the wonderful views, after regaining my balance. Maybe it isn't eloquence that one acquires after kissing the stone but balance. If that is the case, it isn't lore about the stone but God's honest truth about finding your balance, because I sure found mine!