Photos of Doha and story of the little chicken

New developments everywhere. Reminds me a bit of Shenzhen 

modern city...yes it's affectionately known as the condom

colourful old style new souk

demolishing and development

art work in the souk

it's a quiet day 

so time to relax and read the paper

and listen to the birds

hotel right in the souk

Islamic Cultural Centre

from the souk across to the city

lunch in the souk, almost impossible to reduce your carb intake here

people watching camels

heaps of construction 

no place is immune

entrance to the cultural centre

amazing architecture

no room in my luggage, but you can pick up a bargain

I am always interested in the small things that have a profound impact. A word, a quote, a conversation, a chance meeting, a story, an aha moment born as often from despair as from joy …that deeply and completely changes the way you view the world and in many ways proves to be the thing that drives you consciously or subconsciously from then on to bring you pain or help you reach your potential.

When I met with professor A, he told me about one of those things, something my Mum said to him 25 years ago, that served to inspire him and keep him focused during difficult times.

Another friend told me the following story. He heard it when he was just a small child. Even just remembering the song that went along with it, changes his sometimes angry face completely. As he hums the tune to the song, his energy is transformed. He is the small boy again, happy, dreaming of a time, when just like the little chicken, he will travel the world, learning new songs…

And the amazing thing…is that he already has

To all the little chickens out there who know they are and even those who don’t…  

Once upon a time, there was a little chicken who lived with his friends in a coop. Every day the farmer would give them some food and every day the little chickens and his friends would sing a song, and everything was good, and went on the same way day after day.

One day the little chicken disappeared. No-one knew where he had gone. The farmer looked for him briefly, but then gave up, assuming he had been taken by a fox. His friends were sad for a while, but soon they took comfort in the things they knew, the familiar things like the good food and good song they sang together and they were happy.

The little chicken in the meantime was travelling the world. Sometimes he was scared but mostly he was having fun, meeting new and interesting people, having adventures, eating different food and learning new songs.

Time passed, and the little chicken grew older, but he didn’t feel old because was fit and strong from all the walking he was doing, and he was having fun but he did miss his family and friends.

So one day he decided to go home.

As he came around the corner where his old coop was he was confused. He didn’t recognise anyone. All the chickens there were old and they didn’t seem to have any energy and he didn’t even recognise the song they were singing. But when he continued listening, he found himself humming along. It was the same song after all, but they were just singing it very slowly.

My friend told me that this song has helped him to achieve his dreams of travelling the world learning new things.

But there is a sadness in this story as well, and he didn’t tell me the ending, and I purposely didn’t ask.

My sense is that the little chicken felt a bit torn.

On the one hand he loved the freedom and excitement of travelling and learning new songs and he was afraid that “returning home” would mean losing that freedom and perhaps even the words to all his new songs.

On the other, “the coop” was his family home, the place with all his memories and his history and his connections to his past. He loved his land, and his fellow chickens and even his slow song.

Perhaps he is destined to be unhappy, unable to have the best of both worlds, or maybe not…

I wonder if he could write a new ending, one where he doesn’t have to choose. Perhaps he could have his cake and eat it too??

I have a picture of a little chicken, in an older wiser chicken’s body…

Still smiling when he hears that song

Still feeling strong and having adventures

Still learning new songs

Sometimes you can feel the way you want…even when you are not in the place you expected to be…

Thank you to all the little and big chickens I have met for sharing your stories and songs  with me.