“TIGER, tiger, burning bright                                  

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame they fearful symmetry?”

 I have always had a fondest for the poetry of William Blake.  Sunday, as I worked on a Soul Portrait for Lydia, the words to the first verse of this poem kept running through my mind.  You see, Lydia has a shy tiger who was trying to hide from me as I was channeling the symbols for her Soul Portrait.  However, as I was beginning to commit the final drawing to card stock before adding the color, the tiger poked through shyly.  I sensed that he wished I hadn’t seen him.

Now I make it no secret that I have a very difficult time drawing animals.  So when I saw the tiger I sighed.  Perhaps that’s why the tiger had been working so hard to hide from me.  Perhaps somehow it knew if he showed up he would only end up giving me a hard time.  However, I always strive to draw every symbol that comes through in a Soul Portrait because every single one is important and has bearing on the meaning and interpretation for the rest of the symbols.

There was no way I could even consider excluding the tiger just because he would be difficult for me to draw.

 So, I sat at my table for about two hours struggling with Mr. Tiger as he looked at me from the ethers, his eyes indeed burning bright.

 I was sketching in his nose, then his markings when I became a bit frustrated at how it was going.  So at that point I decided to focus on his eyes.  I had the TV on with the Chicago Cubs game on in the background (in case you’re wondering, they lost.  AGAIN!).

As I focused on the tiger’s right eye there was a commercial break and the soundtrack to the first commercial of that particular break at that particular moment in time was the song, “The Eye of the Tiger.”

 I kid you not!  I stopped what I was doing, focused on the commercial, then I just began to laugh.  I would love for someone to explain to me what the odds are of THAT particular commercial coming on at THAT particular moment in time with THAT particular song as I worked on drawing the tiger’s right eye.  I’m sure they can’t even be measured, they are THAT astronomical.

I got over it, giggling to myself as I continued attempting to draw Mr. Tiger.  I struggled for another hour over him alone when, during another commercial break, whom do I hear??  My beloved TV friend from childhood, Tony the Tiger!  Surely you remember Tony from the old Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes commercials (don’t ever forget, “they’re GGRRREAT!”)?  There was Tony, being brought back to the ad campaign in recent years exclaiming his famous line while there I was finishing my work on Mr. Tiger.

 Okay, even I must admit this was WEIRD.  Again, what are the odds???

 Perhaps Mr. Tiger suddenly got over his shyness upon being seen.  Perhaps he went to great lengths to let me know he appreciated me picking up on his presence for Lydia’s Soul Portrait.  I may never know, but one thing I do know.

The timing of those two commercials was beyond coincidental and were downright freaky, but also quite funny.

 Don’t you all know that Spirit has a wonderful sense of humor?  Listen and watch for it.  The sense of humor is there.  Subtle, but it’s there all the same.