Yes, dear Susan, persistence, resilience, and foolhardiness are exactly what the sandhill cranes show us as being necessary right now. My mantra has become: The pendulum swings...
Also want to let you know that the lovely offshoot of Arabella you gave me (her name is Rebecca) is also coming into bloom, along with two other Thanksgiving cacti that are giving me great joy during these troubling times. And so onward we go.
The pendulum does swing, Liz, though this one may need a bit of a push when it's said and done. I'm glad that Rebecca and your other T-giving cacti are bringing their light and beauty into your life right now. xoxo!
You are exactly right: We can move forward, together and without needing to cast blame. We must, I think. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. :)
Thank you for sharing the lovely portrait of Arabella :-) Nature offers us humans abundant reminders that beauty is possible always and life perseveres regardless. If only we choose to pay attention.
I think we have to start paying attention now on all sorts of levels, Joni. We need to nourish our inner and outer selves to survive these times. Blessings!
Yes! "If we consciously fuel our joy, if we put our attention on the world’s beauty, we will have far more strength and stamina to show up to the world’s pain." Andrea Gibson, Things That Don't Suck
Your spiritual almanac is such a wonderful beacon in these times, Mary. Thank you for giving of your wisdom and connection. Blessings to you and yours.
They made Bill of Obligations the community summer read for the communities of Colorado Mountain College (including Salida) and were handing out hundreds of copies donated by the author. He also came and spoke at several campuses. Quite a guy. You can also watch him speak on youTube and he's a great presenter of his ideas in person. We had a Central CO Humanist discussion group that read it and talked in small groups. Inspiring.
Yes, what is the need to find out whose fault it is? I feels like a need to put complex reality in a little box so we don't have to do soul-searching, grieve and adapt to the new reality we find ourselves in. Blame is the enemy of building coalitions and community. Blame is also the tool of autocrats to keep us divided.
My ancestry is over half German, and the rest Yorkish, Norman and a tiny bit Celtic. About as white as you can get. My earliest ancestor in the New World was Welsh and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1638. He was summarily booted in 1640 for being a "pestilential" fellow, I presume because he was as Baptist. My immediate family never finished high school and it was a miracle that I became the first in my family to go to college and get a doctorate. I was happy to go to state institutions! Because of my father's tendency to lose his temper he quit two good jobs and we fell into poverty for a while prior to that.
Over the years I had contact with all sorts of people and concluded that only individuals could be judged and then only on their own behavior, not because they were members of a particular group.
I was saddened by the results of our election, not because a Republican won, but because misinformation won. However, it seems to me that our duty now is to oppose actions that we find to be damaging to our country and especially those involving the environment and human rights. Pretending everything will be fine is living in a bubble. Blaming others for the situation is pointless and useless as well. We are, in my opinion, always to oppose ill-advised actions. We can do no more or less.
As I've said before, Dave, I hope you are collecting these memories from your life and the bits about your family and your background for the girls. The how-we-got-to-where-and-who-we-are is an important thing for our kids to know.
I agree about misinformation winning the election, and like you, I believe in resistance to what is so clearly wrong. It's how we got about that resistance and opposition that shapes whatever will come next: resistance with as much compassion and fairness as possible is more likely to be successful in the long run than resistance with violence and destruction.
I am ready if necessary to die, but not to kill. I always thought myself a coward but my time is running out anyway.
I have been writing my story (Julia gave me a way to do so) and I am transfering about a hundred and fifty essays that I've written over to her. I was a miserable writer when I was a teen, but having to write over fifty refereed journal articles and hundreds of non-refereed articles pretty well made me a passable writer. Also a passable photographer.
Lovely reminder - esp. the kindergarten rules! I was filled with anger and fear for several days, losing sleep and not feeling well. I have unsubscribed from political newsletters until the end of the year. I am reading and plotting ways to save democracy (I created a to-do list on my substack). Walking, cooking and knitting helping me reset.
Thank you, Sue. I'm glad you found ways to reset, and I need to go read your to-do list. I'm behind on Substack reading right now, since I'm still betwixt and between, and won't be in my house for another 11 days. (Not that I'm counting, mind you!) Be well, and keep tending your health on all levels. We need all of us to be as healthy as we can be for the long push ahead.
My cacti, African violets and geraniums all blooming, making my heart sing! My Celtic blood tells me that there might be a new laird in the manor, but my family needs cared for, the sheep need tended, the trees and gardens need love...life goes on. We need to remain grounded, while throwing love and laughter around like dandelion seeds. "Peace begins with a smile" (unknown)
I agree, Barbara, and thanks for the chuckle from the "new laird in the manor" metaphor. We do indeed need to remain grounded, and we also need to acknowledge our feelings of anger and grief before we began throwing around love and laughter like dandelion seeds. (Love that image!) Blessings to you and your blooming plants.
Appreciating messages of hope, resilience and goodwill toward others, more than ever right now. Your words are nurturing and nourishing to my aching soul, Susan. Walking helps. Being in nature helps. Creating helps. Sharing kindness wherever and however I can helps. These are healing and coping mechanisms. I love my country. I don't want to leave it. I want to stay and see if I can help to make it better. Blame doesn't accomplish anything and only makes us feel more broken and separate. To that end, cheers, to all of you here, working earnestly, each of us in our own way, to walk in the spirit of love and goodwill.
Stephanie, Thank you for your "Creative Eldering" stack and all you write and create. You are one of those beacons of light who help us all find our best tools to go about remaking this country as a kinder, more compassionate place. We've a lot of work ahead, and there will be pain along the way, but I believe we can make a difference. "Each of us in our own way," as you say. Blessings to you and yours.
Well said! We must work together to sustain our democracy. So much has been gained for women, persons of color, and the list can continue. I, for one, do not want to go back to the suppression of 80 years ago. History must be examined and not repeated, we do need the light and beauty.
Thank you, Sharon. I agree: It's going to be hard to work against those who would take us back to the white male patriarchy. But we can do it, and in the doing, we need to support ourselves and each other in all the ways we can. For me, that's an extra-dose of Vitamin N, nature, every day. Blessings!
Thank you, Susan. Once again you have hit the nail on the head! Kindness and love is all we need in this moment. It’s where we have to start. Playing the blame game will get us nowhere. I completely agree 👍
Thank you, Phyllis! Kindness and love and some action. Like calling our legislators to urge them to oppose Matt Gaetz' appointment as Attorney General and our senators (if they're Democrats) to urge them to get as many of the nominated federal judges as possible seated while they still have the power to do so....
Yes, dear Susan, persistence, resilience, and foolhardiness are exactly what the sandhill cranes show us as being necessary right now. My mantra has become: The pendulum swings...
Also want to let you know that the lovely offshoot of Arabella you gave me (her name is Rebecca) is also coming into bloom, along with two other Thanksgiving cacti that are giving me great joy during these troubling times. And so onward we go.
The pendulum does swing, Liz, though this one may need a bit of a push when it's said and done. I'm glad that Rebecca and your other T-giving cacti are bringing their light and beauty into your life right now. xoxo!
Thanks for your positive message. We can move forward, together and without blaming the other. We are all in this together.
You are exactly right: We can move forward, together and without needing to cast blame. We must, I think. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. :)
Thank you for sharing the lovely portrait of Arabella :-) Nature offers us humans abundant reminders that beauty is possible always and life perseveres regardless. If only we choose to pay attention.
I think we have to start paying attention now on all sorts of levels, Joni. We need to nourish our inner and outer selves to survive these times. Blessings!
Yes! "If we consciously fuel our joy, if we put our attention on the world’s beauty, we will have far more strength and stamina to show up to the world’s pain." Andrea Gibson, Things That Don't Suck
Exactly, and a wonderful quote. There is a lot of pain ahead, so it's extra-critical to find beauty to nourish us through these times.
Love this so much, Susan. Wise words in times of unwise actions. Thank you for taking the time to create this much needed article.
Your spiritual almanac is such a wonderful beacon in these times, Mary. Thank you for giving of your wisdom and connection. Blessings to you and yours.
Love this.
Thank you, Phoebe.
Kindness. And I love the words and intent of Richard Haas’ book Bill of Obligations. What an American citizen can do, now, for the benefit of all.
I'll have to look for Bill of Obligations, Sue. Thanks for mentioning it.
They made Bill of Obligations the community summer read for the communities of Colorado Mountain College (including Salida) and were handing out hundreds of copies donated by the author. He also came and spoke at several campuses. Quite a guy. You can also watch him speak on youTube and he's a great presenter of his ideas in person. We had a Central CO Humanist discussion group that read it and talked in small groups. Inspiring.
That's great!
For sure, we need to take care of each other and our communities.
Exactly, Heidi. Growth and change depend on healthy roots, and that's our communities and our planet.
Yes, what is the need to find out whose fault it is? I feels like a need to put complex reality in a little box so we don't have to do soul-searching, grieve and adapt to the new reality we find ourselves in. Blame is the enemy of building coalitions and community. Blame is also the tool of autocrats to keep us divided.
I agree, Todd. If we dissolve into blame and fault-finding, we give our agency and power to those who would disempower us. Thank you!
My ancestry is over half German, and the rest Yorkish, Norman and a tiny bit Celtic. About as white as you can get. My earliest ancestor in the New World was Welsh and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1638. He was summarily booted in 1640 for being a "pestilential" fellow, I presume because he was as Baptist. My immediate family never finished high school and it was a miracle that I became the first in my family to go to college and get a doctorate. I was happy to go to state institutions! Because of my father's tendency to lose his temper he quit two good jobs and we fell into poverty for a while prior to that.
Over the years I had contact with all sorts of people and concluded that only individuals could be judged and then only on their own behavior, not because they were members of a particular group.
I was saddened by the results of our election, not because a Republican won, but because misinformation won. However, it seems to me that our duty now is to oppose actions that we find to be damaging to our country and especially those involving the environment and human rights. Pretending everything will be fine is living in a bubble. Blaming others for the situation is pointless and useless as well. We are, in my opinion, always to oppose ill-advised actions. We can do no more or less.
As I've said before, Dave, I hope you are collecting these memories from your life and the bits about your family and your background for the girls. The how-we-got-to-where-and-who-we-are is an important thing for our kids to know.
I agree about misinformation winning the election, and like you, I believe in resistance to what is so clearly wrong. It's how we got about that resistance and opposition that shapes whatever will come next: resistance with as much compassion and fairness as possible is more likely to be successful in the long run than resistance with violence and destruction.
I am ready if necessary to die, but not to kill. I always thought myself a coward but my time is running out anyway.
I have been writing my story (Julia gave me a way to do so) and I am transfering about a hundred and fifty essays that I've written over to her. I was a miserable writer when I was a teen, but having to write over fifty refereed journal articles and hundreds of non-refereed articles pretty well made me a passable writer. Also a passable photographer.
Good encouragement. Arabella has it down pat!
Thanks, Kathryn. Arabella is bent on living in beauty, always. :)
Lovely reminder - esp. the kindergarten rules! I was filled with anger and fear for several days, losing sleep and not feeling well. I have unsubscribed from political newsletters until the end of the year. I am reading and plotting ways to save democracy (I created a to-do list on my substack). Walking, cooking and knitting helping me reset.
Thank you, Sue. I'm glad you found ways to reset, and I need to go read your to-do list. I'm behind on Substack reading right now, since I'm still betwixt and between, and won't be in my house for another 11 days. (Not that I'm counting, mind you!) Be well, and keep tending your health on all levels. We need all of us to be as healthy as we can be for the long push ahead.
My cacti, African violets and geraniums all blooming, making my heart sing! My Celtic blood tells me that there might be a new laird in the manor, but my family needs cared for, the sheep need tended, the trees and gardens need love...life goes on. We need to remain grounded, while throwing love and laughter around like dandelion seeds. "Peace begins with a smile" (unknown)
I agree, Barbara, and thanks for the chuckle from the "new laird in the manor" metaphor. We do indeed need to remain grounded, and we also need to acknowledge our feelings of anger and grief before we began throwing around love and laughter like dandelion seeds. (Love that image!) Blessings to you and your blooming plants.
💖
Thanks, Jenny! Love back to you....
Appreciating messages of hope, resilience and goodwill toward others, more than ever right now. Your words are nurturing and nourishing to my aching soul, Susan. Walking helps. Being in nature helps. Creating helps. Sharing kindness wherever and however I can helps. These are healing and coping mechanisms. I love my country. I don't want to leave it. I want to stay and see if I can help to make it better. Blame doesn't accomplish anything and only makes us feel more broken and separate. To that end, cheers, to all of you here, working earnestly, each of us in our own way, to walk in the spirit of love and goodwill.
Stephanie, Thank you for your "Creative Eldering" stack and all you write and create. You are one of those beacons of light who help us all find our best tools to go about remaking this country as a kinder, more compassionate place. We've a lot of work ahead, and there will be pain along the way, but I believe we can make a difference. "Each of us in our own way," as you say. Blessings to you and yours.
Well said! We must work together to sustain our democracy. So much has been gained for women, persons of color, and the list can continue. I, for one, do not want to go back to the suppression of 80 years ago. History must be examined and not repeated, we do need the light and beauty.
Thank you, Sharon. I agree: It's going to be hard to work against those who would take us back to the white male patriarchy. But we can do it, and in the doing, we need to support ourselves and each other in all the ways we can. For me, that's an extra-dose of Vitamin N, nature, every day. Blessings!
Thank you, Susan. Once again you have hit the nail on the head! Kindness and love is all we need in this moment. It’s where we have to start. Playing the blame game will get us nowhere. I completely agree 👍
Thank you, Phyllis! Kindness and love and some action. Like calling our legislators to urge them to oppose Matt Gaetz' appointment as Attorney General and our senators (if they're Democrats) to urge them to get as many of the nominated federal judges as possible seated while they still have the power to do so....