Month: February 2020

Maintain Our Balance – Day 474

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Storm – Photo: L. Weikel

Maintain Our Balance

Wow. Based on everything I’ve seen and read, the single most important thing we must do for ourselves and each other is maintain our balance.

As I sit here contemplating what I want to write about tonight, the conversation taking place on the program I’m watching is interrupted to announce that just within the past few minutes two new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the state of Washington. These cases are in addition to the new (first in that state?) one in Oregon that was announced about an hour ago.

This announcement follows on the heels of a recitation of some astounding developments throughout Europe, where major events are being canceled or postponed, heads of state are infected, parliaments are suspended, and major corporations are suggesting that employees simply take unpaid leave and ‘go home.’

The World Health Organization has raised its threat assessment to the highest level they have and are declaring in no uncertain terms that every government on the planet must take heed and act with all due speed to get this pandemic under control.

Perpetrating Harm

And the leader of our government is deliberately minimizing the number of reported cases and telling all of us that this whole Coronavirus ‘thing’ is yet another ‘hoax’ manufactured by the Democrats and the media.

We have never had a president – or a party of sycophants that appallingly bolsters his out-and-out lies – who would fail so blatantly and spectacularly in caring for our own citizens. And, to be honest, who would fail the entire world, as the willful ignorance and allowing this virus to spread undetected and unchecked for far too long in our country will almost certainly lead to further infections when our people travel elsewhere.

I literally feel as though I must’ve accidentally rented an apocalyptic movie from Netflix or something. The reports from around the world (the number of countries that have confirmed cases just keeps growing, for instance, I heard Iceland and Northern Ireland were added to the list tonight) are no hoax.

A Disturbing Similarity

One disturbing similarity that screams out for attention is that the behavior of the current administration is shockingly similar to that of the governments of China and Iran. Read up on it. In denying the facts about this virus, bungling the testing (why haven’t we secured perfectly acceptable test kits from South Korea or Great Britain if ours are flawed?), lying about how many cases there are, and almost certainly lethally exacerbating the spread of the virus here in our country by sending HHS workers into quarantined areas without protection or protocols (thereby creating new ‘ground zeros’ for transmission of the disease), this administration has put its re-election priorities ahead of the lives of our fellow Americans. They’ve put your life at risk. My life. The lives of our children, grandparents, and grandchildren.

It is unconscionable.

But we can withstand this. We will maintain our balance. We will wash our hands and seek out reliable sources of information – and share it with each other.

We will have each other’s backs. It’s up to us.

Photo: L. Weikel

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Not My Girls – Day 473

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M’s Girls – Photo: L. Weikel

Not My Girls

I’ve written a couple of times about ‘my girls,’ referring to the chickens kept by my next door neighbor. (You will recall, ‘my girls’ were also the sweethearts of the late great Duckhead.)

The photo above is of a dear friend’s chickens. They scampered out to greet me a couple weeks ago when I paid her a visit and I couldn’t resist taking their picture. I’m pretty sure they’re sure – cocksure, one might say – of their irresistible beauty. It almost seemed as though they were parading around the yard in such a fashion as to deliberately display their dazzling feathers and demand they be memorialized.

M’s Guinea Hen – Photo: L. Weikel

Guinea Hen

And then there was the guinea hen. She, too, is quite beautiful – in a more eclectic, yet understated manner.

Yes; I know. What’s with writing about chickens, dead roosters, and guinea hens, Lisa?

Well, I would answer, it’s late. I’m tired. And sometimes I just want to share some natural beauty with you. I would rather have you wake up tomorrow to a photo of a beautiful chicken than a screed by me about the incompetencies and outright callous disregard for human life of the current regime.

I’m funny like that – because you also know all too well that there are some days I can go off half-cocked and rail against injustice. Or incompetence. Or a whole host of things that don’t seem right anymore and which surround and threaten to pull us under.

But instead? Tonight?

I’m satisfied with posting pretty pictures of chickens and guinea hens and making puns about the other name for roosters.

Aren’t you glad I don’t force ‘serious’ every night?

M’s Girls 2 – Photo: L. Weikel

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Deluge – Day 472

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Photo: L. Weikel

Deluge

I didn’t realize it was supposed to get as nasty out as it has tonight. It sounds like we’re experiencing a deluge.

I’m sitting here at the stroke of midnight and I can hear water rushing through the downspouts and spattering angrily on the layer of leaves blanketing the flowerbeds. It’s hypnotic, to tell you the truth.

But it would be so much more pleasing if I were sitting here periodically checking on the depth of the snow falling outside instead. I love being in the midst of a true nor’easter blizzard – especially when I’m toasty warm.

Virus

I’m sitting here with thoughts of viruses and pandemics and incompetence swirling in my head. I’m constrained to admit it: I’m struggling to discern something – anything – I can write about that’s not either political or morbidly depressing.

My usual go-to in situations like this is my cache of photos. Almost always, I can find an image or two that will lead me on a merry chase of writing about something or another, usually a topic I had no intention of addressing only minutes before. Or at the very least, I can find something that will make either you or me (ideally both of us) smile.

The best I can come up with tonight is a photo from when I was crossing the Williamsburg Bridge in NYC a few weeks ago. Even though it’s blurry, there’s something right about it. It captures a weird sense I have about life right now.

Distraction

It feels like this is a time to allow ourselves a little distraction. In fact, in some ways, it feels like allowing for occasional distraction may be the only way any of us will survive what’s coming.

Yes, we need to wash our hands. Yes, we need to pay attention to what’s going on in the world so we can at least take the necessary steps to keep ourselves aware enough to avoid most of it.

But give me some distraction. Maybe not a deluge of it; but enough to keep me going.

(T-639)

Debate Night With Cletus – Day 471

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Cletus watching the debate – Photo: L. Weikel

Debate Night With Cletus

Ugh. I watched the debate tonight. I thought it was pretty awful. The moderators seemed to lose control from the very beginning; the candidates were petty and rude, interrupting each other and continuing to speak even though someone else clearly had the floor; and it just seemed as though the questions were barely probative of anything that really matters. Debate night with Cletus was a tremendous disappointment.

It was frustrating.

Booing

Yes, I realize this is probably a statement that completely dates me, but quite honestly, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. And no, I’m not talking about the candidates. I’m speaking of the audience members, who obviously booed Bernie Sanders repeatedly.

I don’t mind the supposedly spontaneous cheering for Mike Bloomberg, although yes, I’m cynical about its origin. But the booing was inappropriate, distracting, and staged.

Cynical? Me?

I find it astonishing that the pundits were quick to criticize Bernie Sanders for appearing “a little off” this evening. And their smug observation that perhaps he wasn’t used to being booed was pretty patronizing.

No one likes to be booed, I’m guessing. But isn’t it interesting that none of these pundits criticizing Bernie Sanders’s performance this evening thought it relevant to mention that the lowest ticket price to get into the audience of this debate was $1,750? And that some paid up to $3,200?

I’m sure that the booing of answers provided by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren was purely coincidental to the significant financial means it took to attend tonight’s debate in person.

Money Talks

Let’s face it. We’re seeing it everywhere in our society, but no more so than in our politics. At this stage of our country’s evolution, money talks. Which means we, the people, are faced with a choice. Do we reward this craven ability of those with unlimited wealth to simply buy our attention (and our votes) by running billions of dollars’ worth of ads that create an ideal image of a candidate?

Or do we take the side of the candidates that appears before us, warts and all? One advocating the same position they have for 40 years, and another being ignored as a brazen woman who actually cares enough about the Democratic party to go after the one with unlimited funds and expose him for being far different than what he’s advertising us now?

Seems to me, that’s the candidate that cares more about adhering to fundamental ideals than even winning herself. Seems to me that might be the one I would trust most to get the job done and believe that she really will fight for regular people. Seems to me that might be the candidate who would put our needs before her own.

What a concept.

Obvious Mainstream Prejudices

I’m finding the mainstream prejudices that favor the status quo utterly remarkable. The knives sure do come out when the power brokers of the party and the pundits of the chattering class realize that they may not actually have their finger on the pulse of the people of this nation.

People want change, radical change. That couldn’t be more obvious. But the media pandered to the lowest common denominator tonight. The setting of the debate looked 100% like a game show. In fact, the candidates were actually referred to as contestants – and one of the moderators described them as vying for the role of president.

The questions that were asked were simplistic and mainly aimed at getting the candidates to throw some chairs at each other. God forbid we address the Coronavirus and the gutting of the CDC, or the corruption of the Judiciary, or the purge list of the president.

My how we have dumbed down this process.

I will allow Cletus to express my dissatisfaction with tonight’s debate:

Cletus Snarling (at the tv) – Photo: L. Weikel

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Enjoy the Clouds – Day 470

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Photo: L. Weikel

Enjoy the Clouds

Some evenings I sit here and struggle to come up with a topic that might be even remotely interesting for you to read. And sometimes the best I can come up with is to suggest that we all just enjoy the clouds.

Tonight, for instance, I thought of a handful of subjects that have been running around in my brain like squirrels being chased by Spartacus, but decided, for one reason or another, were not places I really wanted to ‘go.’ It feels like the only way we can avoid absolutely every day being a challenge to our equilibrium is to almost become hermit-like. And that’s darn near impossible for most of us.

Sometimes, as you well know, I can’t keep my passions under wraps, particularly if I’ve been watching tv (like I will be tomorrow night, watching the last debate before a large swath of our country weighs in on who will be the Democratic nominee for president). And while I know it’s ok for me to ‘let it rip’ on whatever I choose, I do try to be mindful of the diversity of my readers and refrain from poking my stick into too many eyes (at least not that often).

Photo: L. Weikel

 

Look Up

I’ve been lucky enough to have a chance to walk a lot this winter. I’m not loving the mildness of the weather this winter, but it has made walking every night at least somewhat less of a hassle. Especially over the past three days, it’s been easy to average a bit over 4 miles each day.

Tonight’s walk, though, just begged us to “Look up!” At first, the sun simply looked particularly exotic as it started sinking in the west, rays bouncing off and squinting out from behind clouds. But later, those same clouds took on some fascinating and varied shapes all within the same small area of sky.

Without doubt, the performance by the cloud brigade as our walk approached its last stages this evening left Karl and me in silent appreciation of just how lucky we are in so many ways.

I even fancied seeing wings in the clouds. I’ll admit it; the simple beauty of these meteorological wonders lightened the load on my heart.

Wings – Photo: L. Weikel

So I offer them to you. Because that’s the tone I wish to set at this new moon: An intention to look up, witness the natural beauty that surrounds us, and smile at the hints that, despite appearances, we must make the effort to enjoy the clouds – and hold on to our hope.

February sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

 

(T-641)

New Moon – Day 469

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Dark “New” Moon – Photo: nasa.gov

New Moon

Today the moon and the sun were conjunct in Pisces at 10:33 a.m. EST, meaning it was a ‘new’ moon.

You may or may not personally experience differences in how you feel or how you perceive yourself or your surroundings during the various phases of the moon. It’s helpful, if you can, to keep a journal and record your feelings and the various interactions you have with people on any given day.

Of course, I make this recommendation because it’s really easy to lose track of these types of things if we don’t write them down.

Everyone Is Different

And let’s face it: everyone is different. Not all of us are as tuned into the moon and its phases. And even when we are tuned in (i.e., we’re pretty cognizant of when it’s a full moon, when it’s a new moon, and when the moon is waxing or waning), we may not be fully aware of how the moon impacts us personally – or even whether or not it does.

The world is full of anecdotes about the effect a full moon has on sensitive people. Thus, it is not surprising when there are increases in potential mental health issues or even certain crimes during a full moon.

On a more mundane level, we may feel a yearning to complete a project or find ourselves sensing that a relationship or a business partnership has reached its fullest potential around the time of a full moon, and realize it’s time to let it go.

The same can be said for new moons – although new moons are more about having reached a place of emptiness. A new moon is usually experienced as a time of enthusiastically beginning something new, planting some new seeds, or celebrating a sense of openness to the potential of embracing something completely new. I’ve written about the time of the dark moon on a number of occasions over the past 469 days, here, here, and here (this one being especially relevant, since it also mentions Mercury being retrograde at the same time – which is also the case today) – just to link to a few.

Your Rhythms

It’s easy to dismiss the effect the moon might be having on you, your moods, your life experiences, and your decisions. Many of us find it just so easy to scoff at the old ways of trying to make sense of our world. It’s much easier to pretend to have ourselves and our world all figured out such that we simply are not influenced by something as mundane as the phases of the moon.

But again, this is the exact attitude that begs to be invited to keep track. Notice, in writing, how your energy shifts, ebbing and flowing throughout the month. You just might come to learn more about yourself and how influenced you may or may not be than you ever realized. And sometimes, if you keep accurate notes, you may come to realize that certain people with whom you interact on a long term basis actually seem to react differently to various situations depending upon the moon’s phase.

Again – once we start keeping track, we may learn more about ourselves and others who are in our proximity than we ever thought we could or would. Just remember: knowledge is power. If you’re too busy glibly dismissing the validity of tracking the moon’s phases or astrology in general without trying it, you may be missing a wonderful opportunity to know yourself better.

A Lovely Journal

Of course, you can always keep track of your feelings and experiences and how they track (or not) with the phases of the moon in a simple, spiral bound notebook from CVS. Or you can opt for something that keeps you more in direct awareness of the moon. A great journal for this specific work is produced by my dear friend Karen Ward, of Moon Mna, in Ireland. Check out her website and see if her journal piques your interest.

Notice whether you’re being drawn to bringing in a new attitude, starting to plan for a new phase in your life, thinking about applying for a new job, or maybe even contemplating starting a family. There are a myriad ways in which the start of something new may be knocking on the door of your consciousness.

Pay attention! Keep track. What can it hurt?

Men Too

Just because women are particularly connected to the moon throughout most of their lives, it’s really important to realize that men, too, share a connection as well. Our bodies consist mostly of water, and the moon exerts a great a deal of influence over water (hence the tides). There’s not that great a difference in the water content between men and women. As a result it just might come as an even greater surprise to men, if they start tracking the moon’s influence over their lives, to realize just how much they are affected by that great orb in the sky.

Again: knowledge is power.

(T-642)

Chupacabra – Day 468

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Chupacabra – Photo: L. Weikel

Dingo Or Chupacabra

The lonely figure loping across the field strikes terror in the hearts of those who catch sight of it. Seeing it directly or out of the corner of the eye, it causes gooseflesh to rise without warning.

Mothers clutch their babies to their breasts, terrified that the beast, be it chupacabra or dingo, might randomly turn its ravenous, amoral gaze in their direction, stealing their child and dooming them to a life of despair and lamentation.

Their blood runs cold. They’re nearly paralyzed with fear. They sense stories of this encounter will be handed down for generations – if they, and their loved ones survive, that is.

Check It Out

While this reaction is understandable, it’s essential to step up, check things out personally, and make sure what’s being seen is real. A lot of times, our minds leap to conclusions, causing us to interpret what we see as something far scarier than it really is. Indeed, our imaginations can run wild if we let them, especially if we’re prey to the stories we’ve heard from others.

But investigation can sometimes feel daunting and scary. If we take a chance and get too close, perhaps it’ll turn on us. Maybe it’ll even savage us!

Yes, it takes courage to stand up to the fear that might overtake us and cause us to either freeze in terror or run the other way.

Not This Time

Not in this case, though. It wouldn’t take a lot of courage to sniff this baby out.

This time it was remarkably easy to stop for a moment, take a breath, and engage in one’s ‘due diligence.’ All you had to do was take a few steps back, shift your perspective, and follow the leash.

Not-quite-so-scary Sheila – Photo: L. Weikel

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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)

Change In Perspective – Day 466

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Lampshade  (usual view) – Photo: L. Weikel

Change In Perspective

So much of what we think and how we conduct our lives is predicated on the particular perspective we hold. It stands to reason, then, that a change in perspective can alter the trajectory of our life’s path. At the very least, it can have a significant impact upon the choices we make in our day-to-day lives – and those can, as we all know, potentially change everything.

Whether it’s how we look upon who we are in general, or the attitude we hold on an issue we’re facing; whether it’s how we view the relationships we have or the perceived consequences – what we believe we stand to lose – if we decide to follow a certain course of action.

Perspective Is Everything

One of the primary requests I make of Spirit when I’m opening Sacred Space before working on a client is to have our point of view raised up enough to allow us to look at the client’s life, experiences, and circumstances from a different ‘place’ than they may have ever looked at their life before.

When we are used to looking at our life or looking at a particular situation in our life, such as what we do for a living or our marriage, we usually look at it from the same point of view. From the way we ‘always’ think about these things.

Oftentimes we don’t even realize there is a different perspective. Many of us are taught to look at our life based upon the same benchmarks our parents used when they looked at their lives. We’ve been taught that life unfolds a particular way and not to expect ours to evolve any differently. Many of us look at our lives from the same starting point, with the same fundamental assumptions – and we wonder why nothing ever changes.

A Startling Metaphor

The other day I was taken aback by an accidental discovery I made.  I can’t quite remember why I was fooling around with my iPhone, but I was. And given that the discovery I made was photo-related, chances are great that I was taking a photo of one or more of my beasts. Indeed, as can be seen from the photo above, Cletus did managed to get in the shot that I would contend is my ‘usual’ perspective of my lamp.

I wish I could remember what I was doing, but I know the first photo was accidental.

It may have been an accident, but once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. And quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever look at my lamp again the same way. Its beauty has taken on a whole new dimension for me. This lamp has now become symbolic of just how different even the simplest things in our lives can appear when we shift our perspective.

So What?

I don’t know. Perhaps I’m idealistic. Yeah, maybe I am. But I’ve also had an incredible number of experiences being with and watching people as they made the choice to see something they’ve looked at or thought about a million times before only from a completely different perspective.

And when they’ve allowed themselves to do this, it has changed the game.

The Lamp

Karl and I picked this lamp out for our living room probably 20 years ago. The colors of the antique glass and the pattern of the design appealed to us both.

But I have to tell you. When I accidentally snapped a shot of the lamp from underneath, looking upwards, I was taken aback. My heart expanded. All of a sudden, I knew why we’d chosen this lamp. Somehow, this pattern was something I was meant to see at this time. It’s as if it flipped a switch in my head.

I can’t say at the moment what this shift in perspective means. Perhaps it was simply a catalyst for this post. Who knows?

And perhaps someone reading this will realize that if they keep looking at things the same way they have for the past year, ten years, or forty years, nothing will change and they’ll never give themselves the opportunity to witness the exquisite beauty that may be hiding right there in plain sight. They just need to look at things from a completely different perspective.

A totally different perspective – Photo: L. Weikel

 

(T-645)

Something’s Died – Day 465

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Turkey Vulture – Photo: L. Weikel

Something’s Died

Just reading that title, you know it’s true.

And even though you know, it still makes you wonder: “What is she talking about?”

It could be anything.

It’s Everywhere

And the truth that it could be anything is in the fact that everywhere we look nowadays, things are dying. Norms, customs, friendships, alliances, ideals, traditions, standards.

From big things like our country’s system of checks and balances to little things like my refrigerator. Lofty ideals like the rule of law and no one being above that law to a squirrel that plays chicken with an oncoming car and loses.

We know death is a part of life. Without it, life here on Earth would be unsustainable, or perhaps more unsustainable than it already is. But it just feels as though we’re all witnessing the death of a lot of things this year (and it’s only February). Day after day, things we took for granted or simply never even felt needed to be treasured because they were such a sure thing are gone.

A Committee of Vultures – Photo: L. Weikel

Sitting Vigil

All these things flitted through my mind yesterday as I left my house. Nothing like being confronted by a massive turkey vulture sitting on your neighbor’s chimney as you walk outside your door.

And we all know turkey vultures are carrion eaters – indeed, they do us and other creatures a great service by eating stuff that dies. Otherwise, it would rot and fester and potentially become a breeding ground of unhealthiness. Vultures are also symbols of rebirth, for they are instrumental in completing the final step of death’s process, without which rebirth cannot take place.

So when I walked out my door to get in my car, not only was I wondering, “What died?” I was also rejoicing. Because in addition to the vultures swooping in from above, I was also being bombarded with the deep-throated groots of a bunch of fish crows. (Would that be a murder, I wonder?)

I know their voices – and I’m hoping they’ll build a nest across the street like they did last year.

So I’m confronted with seeing evidence of both sides of the coin. Death and dying along with the potential for something new to emerge. Perhaps a return of old friends, like the fish crows. Perhaps something so new we don’t even know it yet.

Neighbor’s Vulture – Photo: L. Weikel

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