Leave it to Rumi

"If everything around seems dark,

look again,

you may be the light."

 

Rumi 

 

 We could probably ALL use that reminder to BE the light;

only my batteries are on low power

and I can't find the charger! 

It's our country's 250th birthday -

which seems like it should be a big deal.

 

Only it's one of those birthdays,

for me, at least,

that I dread.

(Like my own 80th - 

which is coming in a few short years -

if I'm lucky enough to still be here.) 

 

You WANT to celebrate and be grateful

but things are FAR from perfect,

and every time you move, 

your joints remind you that you ain't what you used to be;

there are more wrinkles and grey hair than you'd like

and all those things you thought you'd accomplish are turning to

pixie dust in your head -

and that's on the days you can actually remember what they were! 

I guess it's like that for countries too.

All those hopes about equality and freedom for all,

all of the 'melting pot' imagery ,

with each nationality adding their own spice and flavor to the mix ...

it was never realized;

it never happened.

 

We might have kept getting close, 

but then, out of fear, 

out of lack of ideas of how to accomplish all that, 

out of lack of imagination, 

we turned in the opposite direction.

 

And, even if I don't know what all the answers ARE,

I know the direction we're heading in is wrong!

So, I'll continue to look for the beauty that remains -

which is there in droves

I'll continue to support artists, 

 entertain friends, 

make galettes

(this one with peaches(3) and plum (1) 

read books

(50 finished so far this year) 

and spend time with family and marvel at how they're growing.

My favorite 'circus moment' came during the high wire act when...

with no net underneath,

the acrobat artist placed a chair on the wire and then stood on the chair -

to which my 4 yr old granddaughter said, in her best parental voice -

"THAT is not a good decision;

you need to rethink that!" 

Which, of course, made all the parents and grandparents in our section 

burst out laughing. 

 

They're definitely paying attention.

 And, just to offset the romanticized version of myself from the last post,

know that AI can age you as well.

 

Celebrate the 4th as you see fit.

And try to stay cool -

like this little one in the backyard yesterday.

See you next time.

Not gonna lie

 As indicated in my last post,

the past few months have been hard. 

And trying to figure out WHY hasn't been easy.

 

Even for someone as 'therapized" as I am,

reflection and self examination don't always produce insight.

 

But, while I won't pretend to have cornered the market on "the truth",

it feels like I've actually come into a deeper understanding recently

and that's been helpful. 

 

I'm sharing it here because I suspect I'm not alone.

 

As I've struggled  and cried through words, concepts, fleeting thoughts 

and had glimmers of WTH was going on,

as I disjointedly shared all of that with friends, 

I was amazed to find that many of them were right there too;

or at least on an adjacent, parallel path. 

 

So, as I've come to understand it, 

(as a distillation of MANY conversations 

and hours of introspection), 

 I've been struggling with 4 main things:

 

1) being relegated to being "extended family" to my  adult sons 

after DECADES of being "immediate family".

 

2) The sense of living without purpose - 

after decades of being 'called' to an occupation/ministry 

that demanded every ounce of energy, conviction and time 

I was willing/able to give

and knowing every day that I was making a difference

in peoples lives. 

Honestly, now my daily life doesn't matter to anyone -

sometimes even to me. 

 

3) Realizing that my tax dollars  - 

and, by extension, therefore,  ME, -

are going to support the very issues

I spent my entire adult life trying to combat -

abuse, intentional neglect and injury to human beings 

who are powerless and vulnerable.

 

That cognitive dissonance feels untenable;

it feels like my government has become an avatar of everything I'm against.

AND, its being done in MY name

with MY resources. 

 

Which leads to 4. 

 4) Deep soul grieving (still) for the loss of a country I loved

and fighting FOR the country I want my grandchildren to inherit 

while simultaneously fighting AGAINST the same country

in the version of what it's become. 

 

All of it feels personal and individually specific

while at the same time universal 

to anyone with adult children, 

anyone who is struggling with 'retirement' adjustment

and anyone trying to follow current political affairs 

without having your entire soul crushed. 

 

And, for the love of God,

you'd think being retired for YEARS now, 

I'd have a better handle on some of it ...

but, no; apparently not.

 

Honestly, I think I was so physically exhausted

and focused on COVID 

when I retired (for the second, and final, time)

that I moved unthinkingly 

through several years

in a fog. 

Please don't misunderstand me. 

(about #1) 

I'm delighted my adult sons have full lives 

including other people who adore them and will love them

long after I'm gone.

You can never be loved too much.

 

But its a HUGE change to have had them be 

at THE center of my life as a single mom

to being at the periphery of their lives now.

 

Do I know they love me? Yes.

Do I have a place in their lives? Also yes.

Am I grateful for that. You bet.

 

But change is hard -

at least for me.

 OH ...

and another cognitive dissonance I suspect we're all struggling with...

 

I HATE AI -

the factories that will consume our natural resources,

the destruction of community

the expense, the noise pollution,

the unthinkingness of it all ...

 

which is what makes all the pleasure we derive from seeing ourselves 

in our most idealized,

never realized a day in our lives selves

so confusing.

I swear its like they crawled into my brain 

and found the romance book version of who I'd always wanted to be.

I'll bet this chick never LONGED for a Snicker bar in her entire life.

She looks above it all, doesn't she?

Truth be told, 

she probably wouldn't even have been friends with me in high school .

 

At least flowers are real ... 

Well, most of them.

Hang in there.

Keep it real.
 

 

HOW can it be June 1 already??

Don't misunderstand me;

the garden gives evidence every day that summer is moving right along.

 

Trouble is

life keeps intervening

and its hard to keep up,

emotionally, if not factually.

 

Even setting aside all the political nonsense

(oh please, can we set that aside!) 

 our individual lives provide plenty of material to focus on. 

 

A friend has buried a 22 yr old daughter.

 

Another dear friend of several decades and a stalwart in our mission work 

(as well as his full time work for Habitat for Humanity)

recently lost his battle to cancer and pneumonia.

 

A relatives journey with dementia continues unabated.

 

I've had another melanoma removed from my scalp 

and lost part of my right nostril to a squamous cancer 

(with a root that nearly penetrated into my sinus cavity)

and have had my nostril 'refashioned'.

 

My travails are minuscule compared to my friends

but, as I was reminded by my therapist,

"Pain isn't a competitive sport.

The fact that other people have pain too 

doesn't negate the impact of yours on your life."

 

Either my ability to roll with the punches has taken a hit as I age

or  maybe because its the cumulative weight of a lifetime of losses...

but I'm just not as 'bounce backable' as I used to be.

I'm more teary, more tired and less willing to put on a good face and be sociable.

Maybe I'm just in my hermit era!  

Let me also say

that I'm grateful to be on this side of the sod,

as my Irish ancestors used to say

and there's still much that brings me pleasure -

even at my advanced age (76). 

My grandkids and I have formed a monthly "Movie Club" 

and we have a monthly sleepover and movie combo that is enjoyed by all.

I'm hip to all the animation, preteen and family friendly movies out there -

and look forward to a few handfuls of buttered popcorn -

if I can wrench the 'tub' away from them!

Our recent screening was the 3D version of The Mandolorian and Grogu.

 

There have been twirly dresses

 

and K Pop Demon Hunter socks 

as the height of fashion

and 2 new kittens to add to the chaos at their house!

 

Images from my artist are still breathtaking

 And its good to be reminded that natural beauty is still out there - 

if we can only keep it out of the hands of the greedy Epstein class bros!

There's a March on Washington for Voting Rights on August 28th

(sponsored by the National Action Network) 

that feels important for me to participate in.

The march is in response to the major Supreme Court  ruling 

that weakens

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

 

Do I as an elderly white woman in a middle class suburban town 

feel MY voting rights will be compromised?

NO.

 

But I can't sit idly by while the right to be active participants in our democratic system 

is denied to people of color and those without my economic and racial privilege. 

 

Silence gives consent -

and I DO NOT consent. 

 It may be likely that I'll need a walker and more pain meds than I currently have

to get through the march, but I'm going! 

 

It helps that the Atlantic Ocean is an easy drive from Washington DC 

and, since that's my North Star, I'll add a couple days seaside as an incentive.

 

Of course I'll need a HAT!

No more going in the sun without one for this gal.

and if that's not good enough,

I'll borrow a balaclava!

THAT should do it!

 

I'll be back before that though -

so stay tuned.

 

Enjoy summer in the meantime.

 

Random images from WI

 

And the reasons for coming home.

 

Happy Go Lucky

 While browsing on Instagram prior to my trip up north,

I discovered a 25 foot woven willow structure

(a 'Stickwork') 

located in Door County

which I immediately added to my list of things to see. 

 It was created in 2022

by artists Patrick Dougherty , his son, Sam

and countless volunteers 

titled

Happy Go Lucky. 

 

It is beautifully placed within a garden on Horseshoe Bay Farms 

in Egg Harbor, WI. 

So pretty.

Since spring hasn't completely broken dormancy in WI yet,

so the garden wasn't at peak.

I can just imagine how gorgeous this setting is in full flower.

Being made from organic material, this is a temporary structure

that will degrade over time.

Life expectancy is between 3-5 years.

 

See it while you can.

It's definitely worth the trip.