a simple question has rested on my desk for a year or more –
it reads Where am I headed? – a great question. These are my reflections today….
Where am I headed?
Hours turn into days
days into weeks
weeks into months
time, tasks, memories and dreams are all that are left
an invisible bag of dreams
photographic and emotional memories
with no where to go, no where to run – except to God
Trail at Max Patch ~ Anita of NC Trees Photography.com
as I stand at the foot of the mountain or a day of enormous work demands- before I climb – I pause, take a deep breath and pray to the Divine – ‘Guide me – I do not know where or what you want of me – Guide me’
exercising my body and mind – I follow a schedule and take each moment as it comes…
…. when moments of laughter or joy surface – I give in and embrace these as a miracle
when tears fall, I let them flow
at the end of the day, I see that I made it through another day – unscathed, stronger or softer, more open than closed, more grateful than not – perhaps, the answer to the question: Where am I headed? is this – Awareness and Gratitude for all the Blessings seen and felt.
misuse of words in a sentence to describe something else
memory loss when scrambling to complete a task
finishing a painting or coloring a photo, and all that’s left to choose from is the color brown
cracks in the sidewalk
holes on a paved city street or country gravel road where the water has filled them up with rain, dirt and gravel
Potholes
… when knowing and remembering collide and stop one in their tracks
. . . like recalling one’s name, a favorite book, poem, song, and it’s attached to some invisible thread so fine that no one can see it, and you pray for the memory to return, the brain to be restored
Days segue into weeks, into months and these are what I notice – the sounds of the birds in the morning are happy, joyful and free! Baby birds long for their morning food. The Cardinals, both mother and father are happily gathering birdseed from the feeders, the Robins are busy getting their fill from the soft ground and abundant selection of worms ;
This morning I awoke for some time to express myself to record my thoughts – I’ve been awake since 5ish, and as I sit typing away, the birds are calling to one another and although I can’t see them yet, I know their calls and hear their joy, not their concern;
The days are longer now. It appears that Spring has truly arrived with temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s and the evenings in the upper 40’s to low 50’s.
Last week we were still having temperatures in the 30’s in the evenings and the highs were in the 50’s.
Our garden is twice the size of last year. I suggested we plant only spinach and some other herbs – cilantro, parsley and squash. My husband decided to plant our one and only tomato plant, recently purchased from the local Farmer’s Market in mid April when we had warmer temperatures for several days in a row. The tomato plant died in the first frost, the spinach survived and the squash was frostbitten last week although, he has assured me it’s coming back – yay!
A mourning dove is cooing and the cardinals, robins, catbirds, mockingbirds, bluebirds and Carolina wrens are gathering in clusters to exchange their morning hellos as the night sky gives way to the sun’s dawning;
My routine has been compounded with more work than I was accustomed to and it’s been difficult for me to find time in solitude – to allow for the natural flow of words to spill onto the page; although time for mediation and walking have managed to remain a part of my morning or evening routine;
It’s Sunday, now 6:05 a.m. and the day promises to be full of sunshine like yesterday when I finally had some hours to clean my house with Murphy’s oil soap on the kitchen cabinets and the entryway; vacuumed all of the floor areas and did some highlighted dusting; went for a walk and ate a late lunch which turned into dinner – afterwards I was tired and napped until 8 pm or so, then a spurt of energy kept me awake until 11:30 pm. Telephone calls accompanied me after cleaning and laundry – I enjoyed the sun shine wearing green shorts and a white sleeveless shirt as I pocketed my phone and blue-tooth headset, laced up tennis shoes for a walk, and headed out the door and into my neighborhood to give my body some exercise.
The rhythm of the day was broken by the return of my loved one in mid-afternoon. Silence was just beginning to settle into my mind and body. It is in these silent moments that creativity reveals itself.
Life and love in the time of corona has been difficult for me, with less rest and more work. My second grandson was born April 30th and this weekend we were going to see him, however, my loved one had a scratchy throat earlier, probably allergies but, traveling to see a newborn without knowing for sure if that’s all this was, we decided to wait.
My head is full of pollen and my ears and nose are not happy with the thick yellow dust.
The birds outside my office grace the back yard as the clouds begin to gently dissipate and dark skies give way to morning light.
The grocery store is a dreaded place for me these days. I wouldn’t mind going if everyone would wear their facemasks and keep the designated six feet apart for social distancing. The numbers of COVID19 positive cases have continued to climb here as tests are finally filtering into our area.
A friend shared with me yesterday, he feels like he’s been placed in his room as if he had done something wrong. As he spent more time with himself, and less time running from place to place, he began to understand that this is a time for personal reflection and introspection. And it’s been good! I couldn’t agree more.
Most people have ‘sheltered in place’ since March 19th I’m told – almost two months. The government has given all people money in the amount of $1200/adult and $500/child to assist all of us with some sort of reassurance that we would eventually be able to return to work.
Those whose jobs no longer seem essential and many businesses have closed and it’s unknown who will survive this shutdown of our economy all over the world.
Those who are working are called Essential workers. These include hospitals, nursing homes, administrative supports, transportation drivers and farmers, IT support, and those guardians of people who are unable to make decisions for themselves and depend on their guidance and support of their guardians, companies who are manufacturing facemasks, ventilators, pharmacies and grocery stores, gas stations, emergency and waste management services.
The skies have never been bluer or the air, cleaner – I believe we all must UNITE and adjust to our planet’s cries and the cries of people of every nation.
I’ve come up with a list called the GREEN LAWS
Every country worldwide need cease all manufacturing, nonessential air and highway travel for two consecutive days each week to keep our atmosphere clean;
Face coverings should be worn and the social distancing of 6′ should be maintained in all large settings;
ALL fracking and tree destruction should completely cease
Trains should be implemented with limited cars to keep the spread of the invisible virus in check
Time to ourselves is mandatory if we are to find creative ways to coexist with our planet and each other
Plant gardens and share your surplus
Plant trees and observe enforce zoning laws that allow for all people to have gardens for fresh vegetables and fruit to grow
Enjoy the earth and its fruits – pick up your garbage
Take care of those who are struggling – the homeless, the mentally ill, the aged
Remember we are stewards of this planet – no more dumping waste into the ocean
No more plastic – think of something different
Education should be a given for ALL people regardless of socioeconomic status and birth control should be taught so that people will not explode and destroy what is here
Each country should manufacture what they need using clean emission practices only
We are all ONE
This is a lot of change – what are your creative ideas and solutions telling you?
