Earning Feathers

There is sooo much happening in our country 

and in our world.

Not to worry,

I'm not dwelling there.

Quite the contrary actually~

I'm not sure how each of you handles discerning news,

but I have to be cautious about how much I see or hear.

I think many folks are able to tune it out

or not let it get to them,

but it "gets" to me and bothers me internally

to the point that I'm tense and don't sleep well.

I like to know what's going on so I'm not in the dark,

but I don't need every detail of something that happened

on the other side of the nation

and that I can do exactly nothing to change.

Lately, I've been a little stressed.

There are always stresses in life.

Of course there are and rightly so;

how else could we acknowledge how great our blessings are.

It's not only been societal news, but 

also some wrinkles in our life that need a hot iron.

Maybe some of you can understand that.

Sometimes, there are situations that require sideways thinking

in order to come to any sort of end.

And with that, I will set forth a pondering~ 

The other night hubby ran across a question~

I might not have it exactly as it was posed

since I was not the one who read it.

There is a colored man who likes to walk his dog.

When he does, he will have one of his daughters walk with him

because he is fearful that he will be harassed due to his color

if he walks alone even though he has never experienced it before.

There is also a white woman who sees a colored man walking alone

in her neighborhood who she's never seen so she calls the police

because she is afraid that he might cause her harm even though

she has never experienced such a thing.

Are either of these fears un-based?

When hubby presented me with that,

I said, "It's the breakdown of community."

He hadn't thought of that.

Their fears are real.

I am afraid of snakes - just am.

No matter how much I know about them,

that certain snakes are good etc.

My heart races and I get "stuck" when I see them.

I've improved though.

I no longer scream, drop what I'm carrying, and run.

Some people are afraid of heights, of water, etc.

Fear is fear, but it can be overcome.

It is unfortunate though that such situations as the above example

are real anywhere.

The good news is, we can help it.

We just need community.

We've become a society of no eye contact

let alone words or actions or communication.

If that man walking his dog commented on the woman's

flowers or color of her house or just smiled and said "Good afternoon"

or the woman commented and said how nicely the dog behaved

or "What breed is it?" or a hundred other small niceties,

soon they might know each others first names and be able

to smile and wave with no fear on either side.

And actually quite the opposite of fear-

that is community.

If someone began to harass the man walking the dog,

the woman might step out and speak up,

"That's Jim and he walks by here with Duke almost every evening.

He's not hurting a thing."

And if "Jim" saw something fishy around "Mary's" place, he might 

bring it to her attention so no harm came to her.

It's a sort of protection for both sides.

And there would be a *unity* rather than a division.

And that makes all the difference.

Folks will pay a small fortune to insurance companies

but won't pay a compliment to an unknown neighbor.

The return of community is far greater than that

from any insurance company I've ever known.

Our year 2020 has had its challenges so far.

(to say the least)

So in the face of adversity at every turn,

I try to do something positive or find a positive focus.

I have been reading the Stillmeadow books

by Gladys Taber.

They are delightful!

They were written during and after WWII

so it's not as though they were written with no knowledge

of severe occurrences.

What is so striking is the element of home and community

and the positive attitude toward others and for our country and world.

Just this morning, there was a line that stated,

"Nobody is so obscure that they can not do their part."

It has become so accepted for folks to act with malice

that it really is scary.

If we act in good will, we might feel insignificant,

but just keep that in mind - 

"Nobody is so obscure that they can not do their part."

It is a line well worth the repeat.

And now let me make a bit of a diversion.

Over the past week, I've spent a little time in the garden.

Have you noticed how Mother Nature doesn't seem to care

what sort of issues we face?

My tomatoes are almost 2 feet tall :-)

And so far the voles haven't found my onions or cauliflower.

And the strawberry plants I planted last summer

have little green strawberries on them the size of marbles.

The humming birds and house finch are happy.

The bees are in love with the mock orange that's blooming

and sending out it's delicious fragrance.

The neighbors got their first cutting of hay off the field

so the hawks have had their bellies full.

In the mingst of it, there I am tugging at the weeds,

letting my mind wander where it might,

being at ease in the blessing of a garden.

 As I said above, when I feel "yuk" inside,

I try to do something kind physically.

The other day, I vacuum-sealed 16 quarts of beans

for my mother-in-law so they stay fresh.

That might sound silly to some of you,

but it's the little niceties like sealing beans,

or shoveling snow for someone, or passing along a favorite magazine

that make each day of life a little kinder.

They don't cost anything more than a morsel of time

and yet are meaningful.

A few days ago, I had the doors and windows open

since it was such a lovely day.

A wind gust came up while I was upstairs.

I thought little of the front door being open.

When I went down stairs, there was a dove feather right in the middle of the floor between the dining room and living room.

I picked it up and admired it and set it on a little tray I have.

Then yesterday, I opened the front door to look at hubby's pepper plants.

There near the front steps was a beautiful hawk feather

so I picked it up and set it on my tray with the dove feather.

Both are perfect, clean, whimsical feathers.

They got me to thinking~

maybe by the time my time on earth is up

I might have enough for some wings.

So what if we - each of us - 

lived in such a fashion that we were trying to earn a feather

so that when our time is up we will have earned our wings?

Isn't that a pleasant thought?

How might our communities look then?

There are some good things happening right now if we only look.

Folks are finding home.

The yards and houses are better cared for now than in many years.

More meals are being prepared at home.

Families are spending time together.

And in general, people seem appreciative of what's good.

These are the things I'm focusing on.

Would be a shame to let them go unnoticed.

Just something to ponder~

 

Rhythms~Routine~Ritual

The flow of rhythm~

The dependability of routine~

The harmony of ritual~

(Baby thyme sprouting - so hopeful.)

There are times when the waters get rough

or the road gets rocky.

I suppose it depends if you are sea faring

or a land lover.

Usually those rough and rocky times are due

to the unknown and all the "what-ifs" presented.

When there are situations out of our control,

it serves as a comfort to do those things you can control.

Many folks have lost sight of Home.

Not of their house or the avenues that lead

to and from the places they go,

but a real Home.

I prefer to see our current times

not as a time to panic,

but as the straightening a crooked picture

or righting an upturned vessel.

Perhaps the pendulum is moving a little bit back towards center.

That's a good thing, right?

It's not enjoyable to see people upset,

but it might be like when children don't understand

when something good is coming from the current unpleasant situation.

It might be difficult to begin a new exercise routine,

but after a time

we come to find comfort in the routine of it.

We are creatures of habit

who have veered far from healthy norms.

Perhaps Home will once again become our center.

There are things we can count on

and we should focus on those things

when life gets shaky.

We know we need to eat.

This is nothing new.

We've been doing it all our lives.

What might be new is how we go about providing

for that necessity.

Think first of what you know and build on that.

What meals do you know how to make?

What other meals do you enjoy?

Also, see what you have in stock

and build on what you have there.

If you have grains or beans,

what might you need to go with those things?

Not to worry, it will work out.

Another thing we can depend on 

is that we will need clean clothes.

Again, we already do this.

Just work it into the schedule.

And a clean and comfortable Home~

Awe yes,

there's that word again.

~Home~

Look at what you are making.

It's beautiful really.

 You are providing for yourself

and those you love if that's your situation.

We can now find that the seas are calming

and the roads are smoothing out.

What's happening in the world outside

becomes a little less significant

when we can depend upon those things

we know so well.

What happens when we do these things

is we become more aware of what is important to us.

The minutes of our day become uncluttered.

We'll appreciate the rhythm of the washing machine 

sloshing back and forth knowing the clothes are being cleaned.

We'll appreciate the routine of preparing meals

according to time of day and family needs.

We'll appreciate the ritual of caring for our surroundings.

And when we do,

we will once again feel 

at ease. . . .nah,

at Home.