Category Archives: serious stuff

Weekend Wildcard: It’s All About Me

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1 WILDCARDIt’s a peaceful Sunday morning. Rain is drizzling outside after too long of a dry spell. The air smells fresher, the flowers are standing straighter…

and three people were killed yesterday and many more injured as a result of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Oh, yeah, I forgot my precautionary statement:

WARNING! I’m writing about controversial topics today. Those who don’t want to read about my concerns, fears, anger, righteousness or whatever else might come up, please feel free to pass on today’s post.

No judgment. I’d likely pass on reading many people’s opinions, too, especially if they didn’t mirror my own. And I’d much rather read (and write!) about the nice relaxed Sunday morning I’m spending with a strong cup of cold brew, contented pets napping on the sofa, and a cool breeze coming in through the open windows. But I’m writing about divisiveness and responsibility instead.

I’m not a person of color, a military veteran, physically disabled, or of a minority race. I’m not a Democrat or a Republican. I’m not wealthy. I’m not poor. I vote, but it isn’t really anybody’s business as to whom I vote for. That is, after all, why voting is confidential in the United States.

I’m a middle class, straight, white ‘merican. Privileged to the hilt. Some might think I don’t “get it” when it comes to the horrible discrimination and bigotry engulfing the world today. That’s okay, though, because

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!

“It” is about the current state of affairs in the USA, in the world, in Charlottesville, VA and in the town I call home. “It” is about violence, prejudice, hatred and all the –phobias. It’s about freedom… of religion, of speech, of political ideology; the right to tote guns around if one so desires, and the right to walk down a street with a reasonable expectation that one won’t be gunned down.

“It” is about morality, human decency, equality, compassion, working in unity for the betterment of all.

The more I think about “it,” the more I realize

It’s ALL about me.

And it’s all about you. It’s about your neighbor and your fellow citizens and the immigrant family down the street, and the citizens and families in other countries that might be wondering when and from which direction the nuclear bombs will soon be coming.

I have all the answers to all these issues, and so do you. Most likely they’re not the same answers, maybe not even by a long shot. But we must look for answers, discuss “it,” and search for common ground, common decency, and common sense in addressing “it.” Because you and I – no matter how we are sliced and diced in societal definitions and identities – are the only ones who can find and lead the way through these self-created mires.

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Today I will do something – something with love and rationality and peaceful intention; something towards stopping violence and hate. I ask that you do something likewise.

Today, as I sit in my cozy home enjoying the privileges of freedoms and presumed safety that I so often take for granted, I will remember with gratitude those who have made and continue to make them possible.

Today I will honor those killed in defending human kindness, and I will mourn the fact that such defense is even necessary.

Tomorrow I will write about the cooling breeze and the freshness of the cleansing rain. And I will repeat today’s commitments. Because that is the only way humanity can be redeemed.

Illusion

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illusion1

I put up walls to hide who I really was.
I tried to create the persona I thought
you wanted me to be, but those
carefully constructed illusions didn’t hold up, and so

you saw right through me.

I put on masks, and tried to smile and pretend
that everything was fine, just fine… but
I’ve never been a very good pretender, and so

you saw right through me.

I thought I needed to become someone I’m not, but I
finally realized I couldn’t hide;
There was, in fact, no need to hide.
I simply had to be who I truly am

because even then – as it turned out –
you saw right through me

as if I wasn’t even there,
as if I were, indeed,
just an illusion.

The Daily Post daily one-word prompt: Illusion

Have you hugged your water today?

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Yesterday, we observed the International Day of Forests, and I posted some lovely photos of forests to show my appreciation of nature’s beauty.

Today is World Water Day. And while I am posting photos of beautiful water scenes, I want to acknowledge that today is not so much about appreciation as it is about preservation and protection and working to make clean water available for the survival of life on this planet.

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This morning as my coffee was percolating – well, dripping – I was running the water in my kitchen sink, waiting for it to turn hot so I could fill my mug to warm it up before pouring my first cup of coffee for the day. I was thinking about what a waste of water this was and thinking about places in the world that are experiencing major droughts right now. But there was a disconnect between watching the clean water swoosh down my drain and finding any way to help those lacking such luxury.

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This was before I read that it was World Water Day today. That was before I realized that issues surrounding clean and available water are so much more complex.

The theme for 2017’s World Water Day is “wastewater,” but I’m not going to post photos of that. I worked for a short while at a wastewater treatment plant, and believe me, it’s not pretty.

The World Water Day website states that:

“Globally, over 80% of the wastewater generated by society flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused.”

You can check out this fact sheet for additional deplorable statistics, and for the good news of how that can be turned around.

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Food for thought today. Or water for thought, I guess.

Wish No More

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puzzle1

it's a puzzle how
the picture comes together
one piece at a time

I used to have a lot of wishes.

I wished to be independently wealthy, to be a published author or a renowned artist (or both!). I wished for perfect health, for spiritual enlightenment. I wished for a simple life, free from stressors and from having to compromise my values for the sake of “getting along” or being a “team player.”

And a lot of my wishes have come true, maybe not in the ways I imagined, but in ways that have left me pretty satisfied with how my life looks today. And those wishes that didn’t come true… the funny thing is, I don’t really wish for them anymore.

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My life falls into place one piece at a time. Like a puzzle. I don’t know where the next piece will come from, or what it will look like, or where it will fit. Often I don’t even recognize that some experience is a part of the puzzle. I try to trust the process. I don’t always succeed, but I try.

Beyond myself, I have fears for the future of humanity and of the Earth. But no amount of wishing will help that. Determination, action, self-discipline, clarity of values, patience, education, hope, selflessness… perhaps my wish is that we all develop those traits which will help us piece together a saner, sustainable future.

Let’s piece together peace. Together.

Peace.

The Daily Post photo challenge: Wish

Weekend Coffee Share (2/4/17)

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#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Diana at ParttimeMonsterBlog.com.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I’m feeling conflicted this morning. When I take part in the “Weekend Coffee Share,” I literally sit down with my morning cup of coffee and share what’s on my mind. I don’t preplan a topic and I sometimes surprise myself with what comes out.

Today, my mind is on so many things, I don’t know which of them I want to write about. I want to be lighthearted and talk about the Super Bowl, and post photos of my dog, and tell you about my latest DIY home impairment project.

But… I’m also thinking about how the country in which I reside is imploding. The saying, “It’s like watching a train wreck,” comes to mind. The destruction happens almost as though in slow motion, car by car by car (or day by day), and even though it’s hard to watch, you just can’t seem to look away.

I’d love to unplug from the media and ignore all the politics. I’d love to try and remain apolitical. And I feel strangely guilty for being “inconsiderate” in “harping” on my “opinions.” For being a malcontent, when I imagine my readers here or my “friends” on Facebook would rather read something humorous or warm and fuzzy.

But I read something yesterday that basically said that ignoring the declining conditions in the world – ecological, economical, political, ethical — is a luxury that only the privileged in life can afford. Or think they can. Major paraphrasing there, but that’s what I got out of it.

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Of course, once a (literal) train wreck starts, you can’t stop it, and maybe we shouldn’t look away. Maybe we need to witness it, look for our own culpability, be there to help pick up the pieces and offer aid in the aftermath.

The metaphorical train wreck can be stopped, and I think we have an obligation to do what we can, to witness what is happening, to look for our own culpabilities and be there to help. It’s not fun by any means. It doesn’t sit well with morning coffee and croissants. It may seem overwhelming.

Or it may all sound like hyperbole. Like Chicken Little running around fretting that the sky is falling. I would still suggest we not look away, because there’s that other fable about the boy who cried wolf. One day the wolf was really there, and no one saw it coming.

And so I leave you with a warm and fuzzy photo of my dog Chules and his anticipation of the Super Bowl, and the humorous suggestion that he is looking bummed because his toy football has been a victim of Deflategate. And I’m off to work on my DIY home impairment project and make the most of today.

There must be a fable somewhere about finding hope amidst the storm.

deflategate

Weekend Coffee Share (1/28/17)

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#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Diana at ParttimeMonsterBlog.com.

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Women’s March in Portland, OR

If we were having coffee I would tell you it hasn’t been a very productive week. My kitchen is still completely torn up from my DIY remodel. The rest of the house looks like a tornado passed through; a tornado with lots and lots of white fur. And I’m tired of subsisting on frozen dinners because my range is covered by a drop cloth and a grand array of hand tools.

Of course, all of that is totally under my control to change if I just managed to get up off my derriere and do something about it. Okay, I admit I’ve been binge-watching Haven on Netflix. And going to visit my grandkids. Oh, and then there was that little march thing on Saturday. Maybe you heard about it: the Women’s March?

For someone who even has trouble being in a crowded grocery store (no joke), it was a bit daunting to be walking shoulder to shoulder among 100,000 people in the streets of Portland,  OR. But in a last minute text, my daughter asked me if I would go with her.

I wrote back, “No. I can’t,” and as I paused to consider how to phrase the notion that I wouldn’t be able to handle the crowds and it would be too overwhelming to be out and about like that, I looked at what I had written. “No. I can’t.”

And I thought to myself, “Yes. I can.” It would be difficult and challenging, and maybe even completely overwhelming, and I might have to leave as soon I got there. But yes, I could at least try.

So I deleted those two words, and instead wrote, “Sure.” And we went. And I survived. And I’m glad I showed up. And I’m glad the other 99,999 people showed up as well.

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Portland PD monitoring the Women’s March 1.21.17

Did we make a difference? Yes, I think we did. It made a difference for me. In me. It made me challenge my “no I can’t” beliefs, not only about my anxieties, but about my ability to help effect positive change in a country that so sorely needs that right now. I’m glad I went. I’m glad my daughter extended the invitation, even though she probably expected my response to be, “No, I can’t.”

I still don’t plan on going to the grocery store, at least not until my freezer full of entrees needs replenishing. And I don’t know if I will ever join another march. But I did it, and – dare I say – I’m proud.

Now I just need to apply my “can do” energy to house work and kitchen remodeling tasks. But first I’m going to nuke something from the freezer for lunch, and then play with my dog just in case he hasn’t shed enough fur on the furniture. Oh, and then I’ll be visiting my grandkids this afternoon.

Seems I’m just too busy to be productive! Maybe next week…