inspiration

Sadness and Frustration – Day 480

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Photo: L. Weikel

Sadness and Frustration

I watched with sadness and frustration Rachel Maddow’s interview of Elizabeth Warren tonight and was reminded of why I so strongly supported her candidacy. Her intelligence, compassion, and dedication to doing what’s right inspire me. These qualities and other obvious skills of hers actually foster daydreams of what our countrycould actually achieve if she were in charge.

There is not one doubt in my mind that she would surround herself with (truly) the best and brightest individuals ideally suited to getting their job accomplished.

Ever since Elizabeth Warren entered the political arena – back when she first started explaining what the heck was happening when the markets cratered in 2008, and more importantly why  – she’s been a hero to me. She then not only succeeded in advocating for the creation of the Consumer Protection Agency in 2010, but then became Massachusetts’s first female Senator in 2012.

I’m pretty sure she’s the only public person (whom I don’t know personally) who I’ve ever felt enough genuine respect and admiration for to call my hero. It’s not a label I bestow lightly.

Last Battle Of Two Old White Men

I could continue to extol her virtues and lament her departure from the presidential race. But let’s face it. She’s out and that’s the political and cultural reality we’re dealing with in the United States in 2020.

My hope is that she will be savvy in utilizing the political clout she’s garnered. I like to think everything happens for a reason. And even though we are now being treated to what will hopefully be the last battle of two old white men for the Democratic nomination (and then an eerily similar, but unquestionably uglier, battle into the fall for the actual presidency), I do believe EW can be a significant unifying force.

Her endorsement has the potential to make a dramatic difference in shaping the perception of what the Democrats both aspire to accomplish and have the actual ability to achieve if they succeed in unseating DT.

“I Miss My Mom and Daddy”

There are a lot of just plain old human reasons I like Elizabeth Warren, too. One of those being her feistiness (“Nevertheless, she persisted,”) and another being what I perceived as her genuinely good-hearted and honest-to-goodness ‘family values’ nature.

Nothing exemplified that more for me than a clip I saw of a portion of her actual announcement that she was withdrawing from the race. While she answered lots of questions, obviously, about her decision, someone also managed to get a question in about how it felt to be in the voting booth on Tuesday and see her name on the ballot for President of the United States.

Her answer? “I think my Mama and Daddy would’ve been proud.” And then she followed up with “I miss my Mom and Daddy.”

This from a 70 year old woman who is the first female United States Senator from Massachusetts, and who is also a mother and grandmother herself. I found it incredibly endearing that she wished her parents were here to share that moment of looking at a ballot and seeing their girl’s name on the ballot – for President.

We missed our chance to elect someone eminently qualified to bring about systemic change from within, with a particular emphasis on rooting out corruption and giving everyone in this country a shot at success. Remember that? It used to be called The American Dream.

May she use her hard-earned political capital to persist in making true change in our country on behalf of all of us.

(T-631)

Seasonal Temps – Day 467

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Frozen Milk – Photo: L. Weikel

Seasonal Temps

It was cold last night!

Nothing says ‘seasonal temps’ in February better than a frozen half gallon of milk.

These ‘seasonal temps’ and their consequences were a bit irksome this morning, though, when I wanted to make my morning coffee!

With some good ‘old ingenuity (and common sense), I managed to wrestle that milk back into coffee shape.

The Grinch Strikes Back?

Another  seasonal‘Influencer’ that crossed my path today was this ice patch. The amazing thing is, I stopped mid-walk to take this photo because I saw geometric patterns in the frozen puddle and wanted to catch them as they glinted in the setting sun. It wasn’t until I got home and took a look at the photos I’d taken that I realized what a striking resemblance there is between this puddle and Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat.

In point of fact, I’m not sure if this frozen puddle reminds me more of the Cat in the Hat or The Grinch. No matter which, there can be little doubt that the sinister smile is representative of at least one of Seuss’s greatest hits!

Ice Grinch – Photo: L. Weikel

Walking Inspiration

I love it when I take a walk and discover random bits and pieces of beauty.

It feels like I’ve been in a drought lately in that regard. Today, however – I hit the jackpot. Yes, there were more. I’ll share them, but perhaps….later.

 (T-644)

Magnificent Mycelium – Day 454

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Photo: L. Weikel

Magnificent Mycelium

Of course, with a post title like that, you can probably guess that Karl and I went to see the wonderful documentary Fantastic Fungi tonight.

I have to admit, if you’d suggested that I would have an emotional reaction to a film on mushrooms, I’m pretty sure I would’ve been…skeptical, to say the least.

And yet it was just the thing I needed to watch, especially after the week we’ve all had. Besides being fascinating, perhaps even better was that it left me, and I dare say the entire audience, with feelings of hope, inspiration, and awe.

We’re ‘All Bad’

We humans think we’re so great. We stomp around on this planet acting as if we own it, know it, are better than it, and oftentimes, could give a crap about it.

And yet, we are still only scratching the surface of realizing the existence, and understanding the amazingly vast network, of interdependent life that works in concert within and without, keeping everything in balance.

In so many ways, we know so little. And the irony is that perhaps we only need look down in order to discover the solutions we think are impossible. Cooperation and collaboration with other species. What a concept.

Held Over

Some great news: the management of Acme Screening Room in Lambertville, NJ, where we saw Fantastic Fungi, announced tonight that they have arranged for the movie to be shown three more weekends! So if you want to see it, you’re in luck! I would suggest that you purchase your tickets ahead of time, though. Tonight’s show was sold out last month.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-657)

My Favorite Prompts – Day 389

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My Favorite Prompts

Following up on my conclusion to last night’s post, I hope you had a chance to go outside tonight and check out the moon.

Karl and I ended up taking another walk well past sunset tonight– thus decidedly in the dark – and once again found the moon to be surprisingly brilliant given that it’s a week shy of being full. The shadows cast by the moon’s light were surprisingly crisp as the bare branches of the trees lining the road grasped and clawed at the sky.

She’s growing in apparent size again tonight as she makes her way toward the western horizon. And the clouds are just as compelling.

I was disappointed that we didn’t hear any owls calling to each other as we walked. But I suppose it’s a bit early. I’m pretty sure it’s not until January when they start in on the call-and-response that’s played when it’s mating time.

Photos

As you may have figured out by now, my favorite prompts are the photos I take as I go about my day.

I took only one photo today, and not only did it not warrant inclusion in this blog, it also failed to spark a single iota of creative thought for me to extrapolate upon this evening.

I have to laugh at myself, actually. I may not have gleaned a creative thought from that photo – but I did manage to excruciatingly wring a couple sentences onto the page describing how it failed to inspire me! Guess I should give credit where credit is due.

The World

Perhaps it’s the fractious angst of the events unfolding in the world right now that’s making me want to close my eyes and escape into the dreamtime.

Perhaps it’s my background in the law and my love for the fundamentals of our government and legal system that makes the high drama of what’s unfolding before our eyes so compelling to me – and so personally exhausting. I feel as though most people in our country take our system’s resilience for granted. Everybody (for the most part) assumes it’ll survive. Assumes we’ll  survive.

And ordinarily, I would say we would – and we will – except these aren’t ordinary times.

All of which leads me, I guess, to appreciating the need for us to bring our attention back to the little things again.  Back to the kindness. Back to creating miracles for ourselves and the other people we’re bumping into along the way.

Actually, I do have a couple stories brewing. Hopefully they’ll mature soon. Or rather, hopefully I’ll start telling them before my eyes simply refuse to stay open one minute longer.

Have a wonderful day – and know that I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts even when they’re hopelessly mundane.

(T-722)

Five More Days – Day 360

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Four Beasts – Photo: L. Weikel

Five More Days

Tick tock. Yeah, I notice.

And you know what? It’s strange.

The past couple of posts have felt harder to write than the prior 260 or so. Prior? Previous? (Ha ha – this bugged me and I kept vacillating on which word was more appropriate, so I looked it up. Each used the other in their definition, pinging me into a self-reflective loop. Ugh. So I guess either one is technically ok to use, even though I sense a subtle but distinct difference. Maybe that’s what I get for using dictionary.com?)

And right there is yet another example of how easily it is for me to go off on tangents sometimes.

My Point

My point is that I’m closing in on the one year anniversary of my commitment to posting every single day for 1111 days in honor of our son Karl.

The first ten, fifteen, twenty days were tough. The very enormity of what I’d declared publicly loomed large and verged on the cusp of insurmountable. And then, surprisingly, I seemed to get into a rhythm.

When I realized the benefit of taking at least one photo during the day, the game (which is most definitely not a game) changed. Those photos saved my bacon many a day by giving me something to write about. A starting point. A platform from which I could dive into the twists and turns of an invisible tunnel.

A Journey of Sorts

I never actually thought of my posts in this way before, but in writing that last paragraph, I realize that the photos I use as instigators of my posts are portals, in a way, leading to unique and distinctive journeys that I map out before you with my words.

They each are completely unique because I rarely use the same portal more than once. That means that each portal has the potential to take me to unfamiliar territory.

Funny thing? Tonight I searched desperately for a photo I could use that would give me something to write about tonight. You see what I chose.

How did those four beasts (and yes, there is actually a dog completely submerged under the covers toward the front right of the photo) lead to this discussion?

I have no idea.

I guess that’s the magic of this process.

(T-752)

Inspiration and Insight – Day 156

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Inspiration and Insight

This evening I spent just under two hours listening to Dr. Temple Grandin give a lecture as the keynote speaker at Northampton Community College. Dr. Grandin’s lecture was the culminating event in the college’s Humanities Department’s year long theme of “Humanities Best Friend: Dogs and the Human Saga,” which explored the interrelationship between animals and humans.

Given the Humanities Department’s focus this year, Dr. Grandin’s invitation to be keynote speaker was an obviously excellent choice. But considering that April is Autism Awareness Month, her presentation was even more meaningful and empowering to the audience.

I was moved to tears a handful of times throughout the evening.

It was pretty clear that most people in the audience are living with some form of autism in their lives – by having a family or other loved one ‘on the spectrum,’ by being on the spectrum themselves, or perhaps by being an educator.

The sheer pervasiveness of autism in our society makes me reflect back on my courses in psychology back in the late ‘70s when autism was rare and extraordinarily misunderstood. (I remember reading actual theories that blamed a ‘cold mother’ – distracted by her education or career, etc., as the reason for a child’s struggles). It makes me shudder.

Overcoming Odds is an Understatement

Dr. Grandin’s diagnosis was made when she was only four years old, back in 1951, when the standard of care at that time for someone presenting with her symptoms was institutionalization. To contemplate the loss to our society had her mother and a few other extremely influential people in her life not stood up for her and also challenged her to expect more from herself is stunning.

Not only has Dr. Grandin contributed remarkable insight and understanding to the world about autism in general, but directly as a result of her unique way of looking at the world, she has improved the quality of life for untold numbers of sentient beings on our planet.

The Impact She’s Had on Life is Astounding

Just think of that. By virtue of the unique way in which Temple Grandin perceives the world, and her compassionate insistence that humans who deal with animals listen to her, respect her perspective, and understand that animals have feelings and require respect and compassion, she has made life better for countless sentient beings past, present, and into the future.

What a tremendous life. What a valuable human being.

Just a Few Takeaways

The hope and inspiration Dr. Grandin inspired in everyone in attendance was palpable. Her responses to audience requests for tidbits of advice or reassurance were direct and to the point:

Keep it simple.

Don’t over-think it.

Pay attention to PERSPECTIVE.

Feed your children with experiences, with information, with context.

Build their knowledge base from the bottom up and simply keep repeating.

As much as possible, keep them from spending too much time staring at ‘screens.’

FIND DOORS to various experiences for them to go through – if they can’t walk through the front door to pursue a job or education they want or seek, encourage them to find another opening.

Dr. Grandin bestowed so many pieces of wise advice for all of us, all I can say is, my heart is full.

I may have to write more about the feelings I came away with from her lecture.

In the meantime, if you haven’t watched the movie about her life, which starred Claire Danes, I encourage you to check it out.

(T-955)

I Walk – Day 147

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Wild Sky – Walking Home Last Night; Photo: L. Weikel

I Walk

See, it’s the little things that make me realize my mortality. Or at least realize I’m no longer 42.

I walk. That’s my primary means of getting exercise, with a random yoga class thrown in sporadically just to remind me of what flexibility might feel like.

Karl and I almost always walk together. And we try to walk every day. Walking together has been the backbone of our marriage.

We have our ‘usual route’ – the one we’ve walked consistently for the past 34 years. Although truth be told, in the very earliest years that we lived here, we probably were largely inconsistent.

And we take a plastic grocery store bag with us every single time we take a walk.

Never Walk Without a Bag Stuffed In My Pocket

I have to admit, picking up trash while we walk is the most natural thing in the world to me. It’s such an integral part of my psyche that I try to always have an extra bag in my pocket just in case I’m walking somewhere and I see stuff that needs to be picked up. (And as we all know, it is rare to go anywhere and not see – at the very least – cigarette butts on the ground.)

But this is not a post about trash. It’s a post about walking; or at least that’s what I intended when I started this evening.

The route Karl and I almost always take measures 2.2 miles from doorway to doorway. Occasionally we’ll have enough time and flexibility to make it ‘around’ twice, but lately, at least, that’s been a bit challenging.

Piling On the Mileage

So it took its toll yesterday when, in a fit of pique I set off to one of our County Parks. (‘High Rocks,’ which we pass every day, is a State Park.)  Karl and I had already walked around once (during which a disagreement between us took shape), but then I strode to Tohickon Valley Park after our failure to resolve our mutual irritations reached an extra special level of misunderstanding. Once at the park, I used one of the spanking new wooden picnic tables to write in my journal, an exercise that actually yielded a lot more clarity and compassion than I was expecting. The sun set shortly thereafter, thus closing the park, so I packed up and made the return trek home.

All told, including my initial 2.2 miles with Karl, I walked 7.6 miles yesterday.

Then today I walked a total of 8 miles even.

Yep. And I can attest: I can barely keep my eyes open. But the most interesting aspect of this is how much my feet ache. I never would’ve guessed that aching feet would be the predominant sequelae to my walking barely 8 miles a day. That just sounds so – mundane, I guess. But here I am.

Aching Feet – But Some Great Benefits, Too

But aside from the aching feet (and looking like I’m about 100 years old when I first get up from the couch to retrieve something from another room), I feel great on many levels.

I love logging some significant miles under my belt – if nothing else, it gives me an area of life that I can playfully compete with my son. (AS IF.) (He’s a runner and is starting to train for bigger and better competitions, so…the tracking of my mileage is just a fun distraction ‘thing’ we do for laughs.)

I also love/hate pushing myself a bit more. Our baseline 2.2 miles is a wonderful daily practice (and is essential to our pups’ health and happiness as well), but I can feel a difference when I walk for more miles.

I’ve slept like a rock. And I’m hoping the extra miles will burn off the after-effects of the recent spate of birthday cakes a bit more quickly.

Inspiration and Change

But my greatest wish/desire/goal?  I’m hoping this increased time spent directly one-on-one with Mother Earth will inspire me to whip open my laptop upon my return each day and work enthusiastically on my next project. While I’ve had the rough material ready to write for decades, I know my perspective shifts with each extra day I live, and I am eager to see the direction my tale ultimately takes. (That’s where some trust comes in.)

There is change in the air. My goal is to harness that change and apply it to my body, my attitude, my service, and my life in general. One step at a time. One picked-up cigarette butt at a time. One typed word at a time.

But in the meantime…I’m going to get some sleep!

Closing Time at the Park; Photo: L.Weikel

(T-964)

 

Resistance – Day Forty Two

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Resistance

I hate being faced with my glaring deficiencies; resistance being one of them.

Sometimes they just walk up and stand in front of me, though, and no matter what I do, I can’t get around them.

One of those that’s staring me down at the moment is a resistance to marketing. Marketing myself in any way, for anything, primarily. But marketing in general is always a persistently vexing subtext.

I might as well speak substance, since I don’t have a big window tonight: I’ve been invited to participate in the I AM Winter Solstice Symposium, arranged and produced by my friend, Renee Baribeau. Renee is the author of Winds of Spirit, which was published by Hay House this past spring.

I AM Winter Solstice Symposium 2018

Renee did our interview ahead of time. Mine airs tomorrow. The entire program began on Thursday evening, with an opening Fire Ceremony in honor and celebration of the Solstice. I dropped the ball by not sending out an announcement about the Symposium to my Hoot List several days ago, a lapse which I really must rectify tonight, if possible.

The problem is, beyond (or perhaps in tandem with) my resistance to marketing is my reluctance to get knee deep into technological endeavors, such as trying to figure out how to insert into a Hoot Alert the graphics Renee so generously provides me.

Seriously, I should have this stuff figured out by now.

Join the Wind Clan on Facebook

So let me just say this now: My presentation is airing tomorrow (Christmas Eve) at 1:00 p.m. EST. In order to access it, you need to join the Wind Clan on FB at this link. (And if I haven’t figured out how to add that link before I have to hit <publish> on this post, please check out my Hoot Alert, which I intend to write and get sent out before I go to bed tonight!)

Above and beyond my presentation, though (the subject of which will not surprise you if you’ve been reading these 1111 Devotion posts), are the presentations of 17 amazing women with unique and inspiring messages and suggestions for making your life a little bit richer, creative, and sacred.

Join us! And help me push past this resistance to marketing by enjoying my offering. Who knows what inspiration awaits!

(T-1069)