Conundrums

 

So, if a turtle's shell falls off, is she nekkid, or homeless?

Enquiring minds want to know.

How do you decide where to live?

I have a question for both of you readers out there. But first, let me apologize for being absent so long. I'd like to say that I've been busy, but that really wouldn't be true. Busy inside my head, possibly, but not physically busy by any means. Yes, this must change, but I digress ...........

Here is my question: given circumstances which would allow you to do so, how would you decide where you would most like to live? Would geography be your first priority? Weather? Family or friends? Or have you never really thought about the possibility that you can choose where you want to live?

It seems that, as is lifestyle, choice of life location is mandated mostly by two things: upbringing and job availability. Choice does not necessarily enter into our geographic circumstances.

My impression is that, in general, we pay as much attention to our choice of geographic location as we do to our daily lives. In other words: not much. While taking family and responsibilities into consideration, why don't we consider these things which are so infused with the potential for bathing our souls in utter bliss? Ya, I know. Location isn't everything ......... unless you're in real estate, of course.

But for those of you who travel, you know that there are locations which can take you to a spiritual place that no other can. For me it's the mountains. I first saw the mountains when I was in grade school. I was fortunate enough to have parents who thought that travel was important. My first site of the Tetons is something I remember today, 50 years later. That particular mountain range was life changing then, and still is stunning, no matter how often I see it.

So here I am, 40 years later, actually buying property in the mountains. I've fantasized about so many places: Salem, MA; Wyoming; California; Maine; Oregon; Washington State; Austin, TX. To be as comfortable and inspiring as a geographical location could be there must be a multitude of things coming together. Like-minded people, landscape which inspires, a compatible political environment, enjoyable activities. All of these add up to an environment that stimulates, soothes and inspires.

Tell me, you two readers out there, what does this for you?

Spring Morning Ritual

Good morning! It's Monday. I'm starting a new spring ritual.

Arise before dawn to the sound of the birds waking up outside my bedroom window (window always cracked open no matter the temperature outdoors) and listen gratefully to the world awakening around me. Spend a few moments in quiet solitude ...... until Sharmayne (my active black kitten) realizes I am awake and begins to pounce on my face and hands.

Kitty hugs are the best! Shy Cybil waits at the bedroom door hoping I will be up soon. She waits every morning for our mutual bathroom visit. They say girls always go to the bathroom in pairs? They're right.

Next, stretch, stretch, stretch while still in bed. Have you tried this? It makes a world of difference to how you will feel when your feet hit the floor. The first to teach me this was my wonderful massage therapist in Milwaukee (thank you, Leanne). She told me that as I lie on my back in bed, pull each leg back by the knee, one by one, and hold (gently, of course) my leg bent back as far as is comfortable for a few seconds. This not only limbers your leg muscles but helps loosen the hip joint, making it easier to walk. Are you thinking of how stiff your hips can feel in the morning? Try this. Really. It works.

With the necessities taken care of, I pull on yesterday's jeans, t-shirt and denim jacket and set out for my pre-dawn walk. This is always an interesting experience. Who is up at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m.? Which lights are on, how many TVs are already placating wee ones with inane cartoons of princesses waiting for their princes, who do you meet on the sidewalk as you stroll the neighborhood? This morning I met a man who was taking a walk while carrying his dog. Go figure. Now that's devotion.

Back at home the electric kettle awaits fresh water for coffee. Rock that French press with some strong, freshly ground beans and a world class fusion is about to take place. Cybil and Sharmayne wait impatiently for their breakfast of canned paté (are they spoiled?).

Next up, carry your laptop and java to the front porch. Now, I have to tell you that I have never had such a wonderful front porch as this. All brick, mortar and concrete, and LARGE! Even back at the ranch where the view from the porch was terrific, the porch itself was so narrow that a conversation pit was impossible to improvise. Nothing like a 1912 porch. They really knew how to do some front porch sittin' back then.

Although my spring porch altar is only partially set up, I light my incense and relax into the utter gratefulness of this moment. The cardinals chasing each other through the trees, the sparrows flying past me through the porch on their way to morning seeds, even the cars going by ferrying 8:00 a.m. workers and school children is a testament to the world coming alive.

This is life as it should be: busy, hopeful, restful, grateful.

Namasté

Belated Reflections on St. Patrick's Day

I admit that I was raised with the thought that if you are not Irish (I'm not) then you don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Silly, I know, but for six decades that idea stayed with me.

For the first time this year, I paid homage to our dear Irish friends and their heritage by decorating my gargoyle with green shamrocks and making - for the first time ever - a huge pot of corned beef and cabbage. It felt so right! I even received my first St. Patrick's Day card. How did she know?!

To not celebrate others' holidays is a selfish exclusion and message of intolerance that, I realize now, is unbecoming and a reflection of how we feel about the world and our place in it. Making that pot of corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes and carrots affirmed that I am a citizen of this world and a sister to all those of different nationalities and beliefs. I know this. I agree with this, but old habits die hard.

I just killed another one two days ago.

Gratitude

As I do most every day in the wee hours of the morning, I sit in my comfy reading chair listening to NPR on the radio with my laptop at hand and kitties performing their kitty antics nearby. As my stomach rumbles and I prepare a warm, buttered bagel (sesame seed, please) to go with my French press coffee I never fail to feel gratitude for my immense amount of life blessings.

This morning a facebook friend's (thanks, Robb) post got me thinking further on the subject of gratitude. He posted a "Spent" test in which one finds just how long it takes to run out of money when one has become unemployed and nearly homeless. I took the test and found that I would last only nine days and then only because I'm a good typist. Thank you, Mom, for insisting that I take a typing class in 7th grade. It was invaluable and I still type nearly 100 words a minute. Better than telephoning, I say.

But I digress.



Mind wandering off on several tangents (surprise!) such as how does gratitude affect our lives. Does it, as some way, truly bring even richer rewards to our daily adventures as humans? I tend to think yes, as being grateful and acknowledging that gratefulness only promotes the further realization of blessings in our lives.

Then I wondered how gratefulness affects the immensely wealthy. Are those top 2 percent rich in this country who hold what ....... nearly 90 percent of the country's wealth now ....... are they grateful? Are they satisfied? Do they share because they enjoy the universal joy of sharing?

I am not rich. Not anywhere near rich, and yet I have far and away more than I need. I share with those in other countries who have less than I, and with abused and abandoned animals in this country, yet I do not see firsthand the tangible results of my sharing. I find myself longing to do so and realize that I have not done enough locally.

Contemplation makes me wonder how gratitude affects others. Do you keep a gratitude journal? Are you aware of the gifts it brings to your life? Does gratitude spark your creativity or motivation? Do you spend a few minutes (or more) each day feeling gratitude and if so, how does it affect you?

I’m not waiting for someone to tell me the state of the World ........ or maybe I am. I’m not sure.

I’ve had a couple of people tell me today that they enjoyed reading my blogs. As you can see, that’s the only encouragement it takes for me to start writing again. After all, the words are always spinning around in my head so why not put it down on the internet for all to praise, snarf or chortle at. (Teacher Parental Units aside, yes, I will end a sentence in a preposition when it feels right.)

The state of our world: does anyone have this nailed down? My typical stance and/or reaction to people’s grousing about how things are so much worse now than they ever were is, “No, things are not worse. We simply HEAR about all the bad stuff that happens in every part of the world except Australia’s outback and not only once but every hour on the hour if you have any news channel tuned in on the television.” Evil television.

Now I like movies and a good story as much as anyone does but what I’ve figured out is this: half hour sitcoms and 24-hour news are both damaging to one’s psyche for different reasons. The half hour sitcom, along with mindless jokes, taped laugh tracks (because we don’t know when to laugh if left to our own devices) and language dumbed down enough to bore a six year old not only rot your brain but portray a half-assed, gargantuan lack of enthusiasm for anything more concrete and thought provoking than body part jokes. (I was going to say fart jokes but that’s only too true and too gross.)

Whereas news is sincere and vital to our knowledge of events farther away than our neighbor’s latest scandal (hopefully it goes without saying that I’m not referring to Faux News here), the incessant influx of bad news from around the world convinces us that indeed the world is a scary place and around every corner lies someone waiting to kidnap your child, rip off your 95-year-old Mother or steal your identity by hacking your computer. And that’s only the first 4 minutes of news. By the time we hear an hour’s worth we may find ourselves sticking our heads into the sand hoping we’re ostriches who can’t be seen by anyone else. (Hey, do these jeans make my butt look big when my head’s lower than my feet?)

The Supreme Court has just returned us to corporate/union dominated elections. Haiti breaks my heart yet inspires me every time I see those wonderful people being pried from the ground singing and blessing their life forces. Iraq and Afghanistan continue to stumble on their paths to nowhere. England is not the place to be right now if one believes in terror alerts. Republicans say “no” to everything on the grounds that a Democrat came up with the idea, while our $4,000 a year insurance premiums thrive and I eschew the use of most doctors because the $4,000 doesn’t include co-pays and deductibles.

We live in a small world these days. What we do ripples events a long way from home. But do we really need to know all about every ripple? If we were to Golden-Rule the events and the people in our lives (yes, I did just verb another noun) would it be enough to be aware that positive begets positive?

I’m really not sure where I’m going with this except to say that sometimes it’s just as well to only know what is happening in your own small neck o’ the woods. Sometimes that is enough. Tend to your own, do the right thing, love those around you. Make that cheery phone call, send a card, sit in silence. Tranquility begins at home. If we are happy at home it’s difficult to wish anything other than happiness for anyone else.

I’ve discovered that turning off the tube, even my brand new flat screen which I adore, is the key to my return of peaceful sanity. Listening to the wall clock tick while gazing out into our back woods is top of the list serenity. I know there are many wonderful places in the world to visit and I want to get to them, but for now seven sleeping furballs, soft Leonard Cohen tunes, my digital camera and nature make this small portion of Missouri seem like heaven on earth. Which I’m convinced that it is.



Cutie owl in our front yard

Happy Day of the Dead!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to enjoy Day of the Dead celebrations in this country?



The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd in Mexico. As a ritual of respect for one's departed relatives there is much food, dancing and general celebration. The holiday can be traced back thousands of years to the Aztecs, who dedicated the day to a Goddess, Mictecacihuatl. The holiday, however, is not limited to Mexico. In many forms it is celebrated all around the world.

The Mexican Day of the Dead artwork is some of my favorite:



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Imagine No Religion?

Well ........ perhaps in Denmark.  As reported, the Danish are the happiest people on our planet.  When I heard this I wondered why. 

So what did I do?  Watched "Oprah", of course.  Ok ...... and did a little online research.

Turns out that they pay about half their considerable incomes to the government, which in turn gives excellent health care to all of its citizens.  School, from pre-Kindergarten through university is also completely paid for every citizen.  In fact, the government pays its citizens to attend university.  Hmmm:  encouraging its population to be educated.  Imagine doing that rather than breaking parents' backs having to pay tens of thousands a year to get their children educated in the United States.

Even though the Evangelical Lutheran Church is the government's pick of state religion, most Danish are not particularly religious and do not attend church.  Horrors!  Imagine no religion!  Imagine no pious assurety that one religion is right and all others wrong.  Imagine!

Believe it or not, the Danish tend to live with less.  WAY less.  Their homes look ...... well ....... Danish!  Clean lines and smaller, less cluttered spaces.  Their closets hold what little they do accumulate.

To quote one of the Danish women on "Oprah", "we live with less things but more life."  Ya ...... let's digest that one in this country.  Believe me, I'm pointing directly at myself on that one.

Now lest ye get the wrong idea, I adore the United States.  However, I also think that this does not disallow the general niftiness of other countries. 

The most remarkable thing about Denmark, to me, was this:  it's safe.  So .... we're safe in this country, right?  Well let me ask you this.  Would you leave your twin, month-old babies sleeping in their pram out on the street in front of your house or in front of the restaurant while you dine with the rest of your family?  No?  Why not?

Because you'd be scared absolutely into going to church every dang Sunday if you had to leave you baby out on the street in this country.  In fact it's so perilous here (in comparison) that in a county not too far from where I'm living now, a woman killed another woman in order to cut her open and steal her fetus!

The Danish, evidently, don't have a tendency towards stealing someone else's child.  That's an idea I could live with, and here's another.  Women don't feel the need to be married unless they find a man who actually seems like a spiritually aligned mate.  Danish women are raised with the notion that they can take care of themselves, thank you, and don't need a male for taking care of them.  As one Danish woman pointed out, the women there don't dream about weddings.

What a wonderful idea!  Here it seems that we dream of a fantabulous wedding party but give little to no attention to the picking of the person we're supposedly going to share the rest of our happily-ever-after lives with.  Isn't that reverse logic?  Happiness doesn't just take care of itself because we read it in a fairy tale.  Seems a bit ironic since wasn't it some Danish guy who wrote a lot of those fairy tales?

Oh, and one more thing.  No homeless people in Denmark, either.  If you're out of a job the government not only pays 90% of your previous salary for four years, they assist you in finding a new job.  Most jobs pay similarly so that one's career is picked accordng to one's likes, not one's desire to earn more than the Joneses.  In other words:  everyone is important, and every job is important.

Another idea with which I'd feel comfortable, as it's  my philosophy that from janitor to CEO, every job is important.

Wonder if they're looking for middle-aged, sorta blonde, overweight (they tend towards tall, slender blondness over there due to a fresh, healthful diet) kitty lover in Copenhagen.