Rosemary Parkinson, Gleaner Writer
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( L - R ) 1. Street artist makes a reality show. 2. Vietnamese food served in a themed restaurant. 3. Creme Brulee served with flair. 4. What is on the menu is beautifully displayed outside. - PHOTOS BY ROSEMARY PARKINSON
LONDON'S SUNDAY Times acclaims Osho as one of the 1,000 makers of the 20th century. From his book Intuition - Knowing Beyond Logic - Insight into a New Way of Living, I quote: "You cannot decide direction, you can only live this moment that is available to you. By living it, direction arises. If you dance, the next moment is going to be of a deeper dance. Not that you decide, but you simply dance the moment. You have created a direction, you are not manipulating it. The next moment will be more full of dancing, and still more will be following."
I bought Osho's book in the middle of the night at Books & Books in South Beach, reading it as I returned to Barbados to restore the largest painting my father, the late Gordon Parkinson, ever painted now a national treasure, it spans large walls of an old plantation building housing the Barbados Horticultural Society. Spending much time on scaffolding some 30 feet in the air scraping, gluing, puttying, nailing, readying this work for the final touch-up, has produced silent time for pondering Osho's book, Miami's South Beach, Barbados' St. Lawrence Gap, Kingston's Knutsford Boulevard and Montego Bay's Hip Strip.
Everything is connected and has its reasons, says Osho. I know. All the above are indeed so with my ponderings coming from my intellect, instinct and intuition - the head, heart and the being, better known as directional dancing dreams. Now as Osho reminds, I cannot force direction. I understand that. But I can share dreams with readers and if I dance a little while doing so, others might join in; the dance becoming deeper and deeper until the dreams become reality.
KNUTSFORD BOULEVARD DREAMS
I dream of a New Kingston with car parks, rooftop gyms and sports clubs open to the public.
I dream of the boulevard being turned into a pedestrian only zone.
I dream of tropical greenery everywhere with antique lamps to light up the night.
I dream of restaurants, cafes, ice cream parlours sitting side by side right down the middle of the boulevard, each individual, each with its own particular themed décor, each serving the best of the best in cuisines from the Caribbean and the rest of the world; tables and chairs under large umbrellas set side by side spilling out on to the streets with people sitting, mingling, chatting, learning from each other.
I dream of coffee shops with book stores and children's reading areas, authors signing books and a vibrant renewal of interest in the literary arts.
I dream of readings, drummings, happenings on the streets.
I dream of artists creating great works on the spot; arts and crafts laid out on the ground for viewing and sale.
I dream of interesting shops opening late at night; people in and out enjoying the cool breezes, sitting later to chat and share purchases made.
I dream of a branch of the Institute of Jamaica and the National Gallery where history is on show and children are exposed to a wealth of information for research.
I dream of old truck tyres recycled into chairs for those who are tired to sit and rest - maybe even read a book.
I dream of actors doing skits; of young boys and girls impromptu dancing, maybe even earning money towards furthering their education.
I dream of nightclubs, bars side by side coming alive at night.
I dream of theatres, stage and film.
I dream that these ideas flow through all the buildings, their plazas, nooks and crannies embedded within becoming a sort of octopus of wonder and magic as more dreams are created.
PREPOSTEROUS WRITINGS
I know the prophets of doom will think these writings preposterous. I can hear them: "Nobody will come." "It is too late for Knutsford." "People hate New Kingston, now overtaken by shaky carts selling dubious goods, crack-heads, winos, commercial sex workers and thieves." But look at Emancipation Park. Kingston laughed at the thought of that park, predicting an overrun by the underworld within weeks with dereliction a definite six months ahead. Have these things happened, or has Emancipation Park become a hub of good, clean, wholesome activity since opened? Was Emancipation not started as a directional dream that dared to dance?
These photos could easily be Knutsford Boulevard by night - maybe even before Cricket World Cup 2007. Dare to dream again and make this dance a reality.
My spiritual friend Eli Walker weds this weekend in Montego Bay. May he and his bride dance their directional dreams for ever.
Next week: 'Dancing the Hip Strip'.
In reality, you can doubt - "it could be a dream" - but in a dream you cannot wonder if it is a dream. That's the only distinction between dream and reality. Osho's Intuition - Knowing Beyond Logic.
