“Maybe what we can do when we feel overwhelmed is to start small .”
~~~ Aimee Nezhukumatathil
I am overwhelmed by all the current crises, especially the recent court decision that seems to spell the possible end of democracy in my country by setting one person, the President, above the law. This opens the way for a dictatorship. Have you ever lived in a country run by a dictator? I lived and worked in Libya for five years, arriving just weeks before the 1969 coup that put Gaddafi in power. At first the Libyans were hopeful about a “new beginning.” They soon learned that there is nothing positive about authoritarian rule. It is no exaggeration to say that I tremble at the mere possibility of such a thing happening here.
I am taking time to find my balance by loving the world at my doorstep.
Loving what's near wasn't difficult when an unexpected visitor showed up on my back door one night.
So unexpected and so beautiful!
The magical fingers and toes, the fat tummy, the vulnerability.
Tree frog!
And then, there is the endless flow of life on our front porch:
And the pond with all its beautiful creatures:
The evening chorus of frogs,
swallows dipping and gliding in pursuit of insects,
sometimes ducks or geese or a Great Blue Heron
arriving majestically on his wide wings and then standing
absolutely
still.
Or perhaps, at dusk, some Little Grass Frogs on the sidewalk around the pond --
— the smallest of North American frogs, no bigger than my fingernail.
* * * * * * *
“Be, Behold, Become”
* * * * * * *
And always Kabir reminds me:
"Wherever you
are
is the entry point."
Sharing Trickster's Hoard 
It’s a great time of year for escape…so full.
The very folks that support this shit will be the ones that get hurt the most.
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But not really “escape.” Instead, a moment of delight that brings a quiet deepening & strengthening of the spirit and sense of connection — Inspiration for continued living, for action.
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Yes, you’re right…to gather ourselves
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We simply have to find ways to replenish ourselves as we face the ongoing peril in this country. It takes energy to keep on doing what we know to be right for the good of all. I turn to dance, to many types of music that enables me to work out worry and anger. I dip into my cherished books on Irish folklore, and especially feel the need to re-read Sharon Blackie’s works on shapeshifting women, a trait that we all innately posse or, I delve into re-reading Bless Me Ultima, by my beloved author Rudolfo Anaya. I commiserate with Isabel Allende on what it is to be a woman, especially during these times when our rights our constantly eroded. These might be escapist pursuits, well not Isabel Allende, but these actions fuel the energy needed for the work that lies ahead.
I walk outside, as you do Margery, but my landscape is not as full of wonders as yours. Still, I sit and watch the apples plop down on the ground when the wind rises, I see the rabbit who eagerly waits to munch on these offerings and what comes to me is the simplest yet most profound comfort. It does not take much, no big overt actions to find balance, just the acknowledgement that it is needed in order to continue what dear Congressman John Lewis called, ” good trouble.” Nature provides that solace and I think of this quote from Rachel Carson who said on nature:
“The pleasures, the values of contact with the natural world, are not reserved for the scientists. They are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of a lonely mountain top — or the sea — or the stillness of a forest; or who will stop to think about so small a thing as the mystery of a growing seed.”
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Thank you, Marti. I love the quote you sent from Rachel Carson. ….And an apple, pushed off the tree by wind — or even sitting on a kitchen counter — IS a Wonder. All around us! Wherever we are!
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Thank you for tempering humanity’s flaws with Mother’s exquisite beauty, joy and peace. Such a needed perspective. May we as the youngest sibling learn from our older kin.
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i read yesterday, as your words first arrived. i read again this next morning as i sit breathing Readying for return to the Fire Zone. Your thoughts, words, share ing fortify me for the going.
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I hope everything is OK on The Hill. Wishing you well!!!
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There are many paths to traverse through life. Seek out the ones with the least clarity for they may take you to unknown places.
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Yes! And just a few moments ago I read, in Will W. Adams’ book “A Wild and Sacred Cry”: “…[S]topping and surrendering allows us to see more clearly and deeply than we usually do. All real discovery happens beyond our willful capacity to manufacture or control it.” —- somewhere along the path worn down not by others but by our own footsteps…
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CORRECTION: The title of Will W. Adams’ book is A WILD AND SACRED CALL.
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good words and toughts , see what IS … arround near by , heal us /me / you
thank you wise woman’s
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here again…September 6 the words are Fresh and GOOD, the belly of the tree frog BREATHING round and Full of Life
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