fourth estate

I don’t know about you, but, for me, the news, even as it dominates our daily lives, has become absolutely worthless. It’s become nonstop coverage of government, government figures, government data, government posturing, government restrictions, government policing, government cover-ups, government blah-blah-blah. Oh, and, still, a whole lot of sports. 

I’m really sick and tired of government 24-7. I have no use for glorified sports. And it all looks like propaganda to me.

Remember what news used to be? 

Good old-fashioned newspapers used to have a local, community focus. Yes, you could read what your local government was up to, but you could also read about businesses, about community programs, about social events, about local concerns. There used to be whole sections devoted to features — glimpses into what cool things people in your community were into, along with what churches were up to, what was going on in the schools (actual education, not just controls and sports), art, music, books, movies, cooking, and more. Columnists were local people writing about the community, or about how big issues impacted the local community. 

These newspapers actually served to connect us with our communities and society and ideas.

Now, there isn’t much community to be had — in newspapers or elsewhere. Most community newspapers were swallowed up by national media entities which reduced them to a local story or two surrounded by a wealth of wire stories on the usual government and sports crap. They might still include some local crime information because that’s useful, divisive propaganda. They might throw in a dose of a generic wire feature to give the illusion there’s real people out there — somewhere.

I look at the last vestiges we have of local news, and it’s all pretty much worthless whether online or in print. It’s just garbage. 

The big news outlets, obviously, amount to garbage, serving only to remind us on a daily basis how extremely propagandized we are. 

Hence, there’s the usual sorting through of blogs and social media, much of which is now conveniently censored. 

It all serves to erode and oppress community and agency, and, God forbid, ideas. And it’s no accident. Nevertheless…

seems like an opportunity.

compassionate new year :)!

Perhaps 2021 can be the year we begin to build in earnest our own compassionate culture. After 2020’s time of introspection, its heavy dosing of fear, its many questions, lessons, and losses, maybe we can feel empowered to build something new.

We see, after all, the technocapitalist drill does not serve humanity, the other beings, the planet, quite so well. It’s really good at some things, but compassion — a key element for life — is missing entirely.

Let’s make this year the one where we bring deep, fundamental compassion to the system.  Let the system shiver and learn to adjust, or crumble.

Love. Health. Abundance. Creativity. Freedom.

open like the sky

My heart is soft toward so many things. My heart opens like the sky for butterflies, or purring cats and smiling dogs, for the wind in the trees, for children in their tears or laughter or deep concentration, for strangers in their tentative hellos, for loved ones in their foibles and certainties and even in their angry moments. My heart responds with ease and joy and readiness to a beautiful, complicated world under the soul-sea of the heavens.

So I am surprised that this ready heart of mine remains aloof in a certain respect. How is it that my lone inner self, part of the ocean of being otherwise held so benevolently in my heart, is somehow almost invisible in there? 

I want my heart open to the me in me, giving love and solace and care there. Laughter and delight, too. It is, paradoxically, the me in me that is this wonderful heart so soft toward so many other things, is it not? Today, I allow my tender, embracing heart to reach everywhere.

ukulele: fun and friends

Little did I know on that snowy January day when I wandered into the music shop that the ukulele would come to figure significantly for me. And I am so glad it has.

I have faithfully been attending my ukulele club every week. I’ve gotten to know several wonderful people as a result, and enjoyed many awesome evenings strumming and learning together.

As the months go by, folks experience the ups and downs that life delivers. At ukulele club, we are able to share some of that and then set it all aside while we get lost in the music. We are always all smiles at the end of an evening playing together.

We have a fantastic leader and teacher who is just as excited about our progress as we are. He always brings us some challenges and theory along with some music we can jump right in with and party. I have learned immensely.

As the weeks have passed, we’ve gone everywhere from The Beatles to Phil Ochs, the Grateful Dead to the blues (ridiculously awesome!).

Last night, we played songs ranging from Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne,” to Roger Miller’s “King of the Road,” to The Band’s “The Weight.” Our wonderful teacher also has us working on The Beach Boys’  “God Only Knows.”

The other delight from last night was a finger-picking version of Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson’s “Crazy.”  Wow, is this fun! I’m still amazed I can even read the tablature and make sense of it, much less play it. This one’s going to take some practice though.

Other perks that resulted from landing in the world of ukuleles include my first-ever attendance at a drumming circle and a dulcimer-led jam session, and multiple invitations to camps and festivals — hopefully I’ll actually attend one before the summer’s over!

I’ve been inspired by the people in my group. I love their many interests and the way they fuel themselves on music. No one can walk through the music shop on club night without testing out a new instrument. Last night, one of our club members showed up a little late because his cello lesson ran long. Several members are also very active in harmonica groups.

I admit, lately, I find myself drawn to percussion, too. We’ll see where that leads.

I am so grateful for this group and the ukulele. During a few stressful months, it remained a beacon of joy for me. Fun, learning, friends. What could be better?

earth and me

I keep a wary eye on the darkening clouds as I head out for my run. I know it can’t be too long before the weather unleashes, but, damn, I need to run. So, off I go.

At first, it’s just a few drops of spattered rain. Big deal. Maybe the whole thing will just skirt past. I’ve got my phone in a baggie.

I keep going until all of a sudden the wind whips up, and there’s a rush of rain, a clap of thunder. I duck into the high school baseball team dugout as the weather moves through, just a few minutes. We’re right on the edge of it.

When I step out of the dugout, and onto the asphalt trail, I notice the bright green sprig that’s fallen there. The wind whips it, but it remains in place. It looks so fresh and so beautiful, so alive against the asphalt.

I pick up my pace because I can see the clouds amassing, not thinning. They are angrily piling up and darkening, and I head homeward, disappointed that I won’t get more miles in.

I’m not all that far from home when the skies break loose, exploding with a sudden violence.  Wind, rain, lightening. I dash toward a school building. There’s an awning reaching out from the entrance doors. I head there and find just a little shelter. The wind is driving rain everywhere.

I feel so exposed, so defenseless as nature lets go. All I can do is stand and watch as lightening strikes and thunder claps, over and over.  The wind pushes the rain into unexpected places. There is nothing to do but watch, and be amazed.

It’s bigger than me. And yet, I feel connected right through my feet as the thunder rolls. I am soaked with the rains. I am awed and humbled, scared and honored.

When the fury subsides, I trot home, thankful, taking nothing for granted. 

❤️ for creative community

Friends, I wish you a Happy New Year! I would also like to express my gratitude to you for reading my blog, liking, following, for your comments, and for being my creative community.

I am grateful every day for the WordPress community. When I decided some months back to make blogging a regular sort of practice, I did not realize all that I would find. A few of the things I have discovered:

Inspiration: I am inspired by so many others here. I appreciate the glimpses I receive into other folks’ thoughts and experiences all around the world. I love the fearlessness and the honesty with which so many of you write, and on very meaningful topics. You open doors in my mind and my heart that hold many possibilities. You so often inspire me with your determination and courage, too.

Connection: I love the sense of creative connection I feel in this online community of writers and thinkers and doers and adventurers and life explorers. I appreciate the wonderful diversity of minds and experience here, and I love that I can be part of the gang. When you like one of my posts or comment, I recognize that happy moment of connecting.

Laughter: I cannot tell you how many times my fellow bloggers have made me laugh or smile with their stories or photos. That always makes for a better day.

Encouragement: I am truly encouraged by your likes and follows and comments, but I am even more encouraged by your examples. I see so many of my blogging companions actively committed to their paths, and exploring life in their unique ways, and it emboldens me on my own journey.

Insight: Not a day goes by that I don’t read something that helps me somehow or broadens my understanding. Perusing my WP Reader is a moment to which I look forward. It’s always an enriching experience.

Discipline: My own blogging is a practice. I am learning many things from it. Part of the purpose is discipline. It makes me look at things differently. It makes me think with purpose, explore ideas, be more observant, stop and take a photo. Knowing that someone out there will read what I put together infuses the practice with meaning and intent.

So, so much for which to be grateful!  Thank you, dear readers and friends! I wish you Wonder, Love, and Joy in 2019!

change must be

I remember it with both joy and melancholy.

I was finally preparing to leave. Everything was just about packed up. The house was already taking on that empty feeling. It was getting down to the wire, just days before saying goodbye to this place that I dearly loved but felt I had to leave.

I don’t know what made me look out just then.

I went deliberately to the window, and gazed out, the field stretching away to the west. And there she was, so close I could almost have touched her.

The fox stood still outside my window. There was a profound aura of peace and magic about this elusive, beautiful animal. I knew she was there on purpose. I knew we were connected somehow. Then, as if satisfied that her work was done, she disappeared.

I lived there for fifteen years, and never saw a fox before that day.

I was simultaneously calmed and distressed by the fox’s visit. I couldn’t help but wonder why the fox came to me. Was this reassurance about the path upon which I was about to embark? Or was this a warning?

It hurts to recall this moment. Stepping back into this particular past always does. Much pain and sadness surrounds the memory.

And yet, there is such beauty and peace and sense of connection in the memory, too. Even joy.

Like so much, I carry the fox in my heart.

Change must be. The fox knows, and she goes with me.

just a few kind words

Just a few kind words.

It could make all the difference to someone.

A simple thank you might mean more than you know.

A gentle query about how one’s day is going, or how their holidays have been, might, just might, make someone feel seen.

Your considerate comment might just be the moment that restores confidence, brings hope, or sparks an instant of joy.

Notice the small gestures people make, notice the big ones, too. When someone’s trying, honor that – in the simplest of ways.

It’s just a few kind words. Just two will do.

And with a smile that meets the eyes, you’ve gone over the top.

There are those on your path who feel invisible. There are those for whom a hug is an unusual experience. There are ones who won’t hear a friendly word that day unless you deliver it.

And it’s just a few kind words. Opportunities abound. It costs absolutely nothing, but it’s so worth the effort.

You may never know the impact, but it could make all the difference.

Just a little bit of kindness can go a long, long way.

fortress

Tear it down

the castle
with the flag waving
the men at arms
the turrets

the stones
the moat the bridge
built by peasant’s back
and on the backs of peasants standing

rend the ermine robes
melt the crowns
strew the jewels to sparkle
across the land

tear it down

the fortress
find fealty to no one
kinship with all
each one honored and not by coin

finally see the dreams left standing
the wild in the forest
moon laughing
hearts aglow in eyes and hands

a precious gift

I have had to let go of many things that mattered to me. Learning to really let go of them has been a long and difficult lesson in my life. Out of that process, though, I have distilled the things to treasure, the things that really matter – and they are few.

This weekend I enjoyed that precious gift of simple time spent with a loved one. It fills my heart and goes beyond. To love and to feel love, to accept and feel accepted – no strings attached anywhere – is the very essence of life.

To walk in easy understanding together through a snow-blanketed woods, sharing moments of mystery and wonder and joy  – simply perfect.

To laugh in comfortable, non-judgmental conversation over a cup of coffee in a cozy spot – sublime.

To discover another facet of the ever-unfolding, sparkling gem that is you  – amazing.

To see the world get bigger and more beautiful because you open yet another door for me – phenomenal.

To be able share this journey, without pretense, with absolute safety and trust, I have no words.

To see into your smiling eyes, to put my arms around you and hold you tight for even a moment –  I am just so deeply grateful.