“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Hi, my name is Mathilda.

I'm a visual artist, writer and comedian/poet. I live in California, but resided for many years in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Every place I lived in influenced me and shaped my outlook on life.

I started this publication Lichtblick to bring a bit of levity into our daily lives, especially during these unsettling times. Lichtblick is the German word for "ray of hope" - or seeing the light again.

Every day, I will have a little surprise for you -- some might even make you laugh! 🎉

I hope you will enjoy it.

And on that enticing note...

I wish you an extraordinary and awesome day or night!

~ Mathilda Ferguson

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But WAIT -- there's more... 🌞

Whatever is going on in your life, think of this story:

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The Story Of A Farmer

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”

The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”

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The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune...

~ Alan Watts

English writer, speaker, and self-styled "philosophical entertainer", known for interpreting and popularising Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophy for a Western audience.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts

Origins of this Story:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_old_man_lost_his_horse

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Banner Painting:

Valley of the Yosemite - also called Nature's Cathedral - by Albert Bierstadt in 1864