DAY 121 - A Look in My Mirror and Out to the Horizon

Prior to turning 50, I cared about others, cared about the world, but had no plan, and felt little responsibility. I didn’t realize the harm and dangers that were, and are upon us. While considering myself part of the solution to man’s problems, I never really thought of myself as a co-creator of our salvation (not in a religious sense).

Since 50, things have changed; I now consider myself a co-creator of our future; not a hot shot, just a co-creator. Turns out, we are all co-creators; of some future; whether we act, or not.

In 2003, as a part of my efforts for our present and our future, I joined the executive board of Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions (CPR), of Ventura, California. CPR is an inclusive, diverse group of individuals, committed to non-violence, and recognizing the interconnectedness of all life on our planet. Our mission is to discover, live and communicate what is needed to build a just, sustainable and peaceful global society. Each month we hold public meetings dealing with the critical issues of our times: war, nuclear weapons, homelessness, poverty, global warming, campaign finance reform, and much more.

I don’t know what lies ahead on the horizon for humanity, or for our world, but I am comforted to have seen myself more clearly, and to have seen a reflection of myself, as a small and responsive part of our world.

DAY 103 - Beautiful People ... Obviously

 

Our world is filled with beautiful people.

I know it’s true,... but still, I do better with hints and reminders.

The printing on Jessie’s shirt gave me one of those clues, and a joyful lift.

Another person, caring about and responding to people in need, having heard 

a distant call for help from unknown people in an unknown land.

Beautiful people, ...

with a label,

for folks like me,

who need it obvious,

preferably in black and white.

Thank you Coleen.

DAY 100 - Parlez Vous Triage?

photo courtesy of gambier20 at flickr commons

I don’t speak French
but used to really like the word “triage”

I’m attracted to order,
and maximizing good, comforts me

then I grew up,
began to know and feel
my connectedness to all things

finally saw the battlefield that lies around us
bombs and napalm
loneliness and fear
hunger and disease
violence and torture
ecosystem poisoning

for some, each day is a triage
for water, food, and shelter

interestingly, many of us,
who are not living hand-to-mouth,
turn from,
or don’t see the bloodier battlefields
and instead, each day
triage work and income
the car and the water heater
a relationship strained
sciatica or headache
the lure of sugar
laundering clothes
brushing teeth
falling into bed
struggling to get up,
the alarm squawking

triaging is not a relaxed endeavor for me
yet calm is one of the wounded that must survive
hope, another

and why is it,
that so many folks use drugs, alcohol and video?
oh ...

can we stay on our feet?
conscious enough to move beyond war?
to come together in love?
combine our energies to heal our world?

yes, we can!

it’s either that,
or the hamster wheel for all of us,
‘till the rain of radiation

Note to all dear readers: while writing “Parlez Vous Triage”, I worried that in sharing my struggles with life, that you might read it to mean that I am near a tipping point, and that you might feel distressed. I am not near the edge. I am simply trying to stay aware and in contact with the world, and those who suffer. There is enormous beauty all around me. I am soaking up the pervasive good vibrations, while trying to help us stay out of the ditch. All is well.