Month: March 2020

Themes and Msgs (Part 2) – Day 505

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Photo: feeder watch.org

Themes and Messages – Part 2

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve received the coolest gift from Spirit on my last two birthdays: the unmistakable appearance of a bird that I felt was bringing me a message about a potential theme in my life for the coming year. Themes and messages, they’re all around us.

Before last year’s appearance of a pileated woodpecker right outside my bedroom window on the morning of my 60th birthday last year, I don’t recall ever having a bird (or any other emissary of the natural world) make a point of showing up in my life on my birthday. And the manner in which the woodpecker showed up last year – hammering me awake, hauling me from the dreamtime – made the bird’s message seem all that more compelling.

I Lost Track

I’ll admit it; while I didn’t forget that the pileated woodpecker had dramatically appeared on the morning of my birthday, I did neglect to check in on whether there was any applicability of the bird’s message as my year unfolded. I hate to admit it, but I lost track of the pileated theme.

Last night, when I reread my post from last year, I immediately noticed the use – twice – of the word ‘wary’ in the quote I included from Animal-Wise*. That, in and of itself, should have been a concept I highlighted in my own consciousness as a watchword for my year.

I don’t know. If I’d exercised vigilance in revisiting the pileated’s message would I have made other choices or picked up on the motives or actions of others before getting blindsided? Would I have allowed myself to become so sidetracked by the needs and desires of a few others that I set aside my own sense of the rhythms and ways in my life? I don’t know.

But I do know I could’ve – and probably should’ve – been more wary.

A Second Chance

Imagine my delight when I awoke yesterday morning to the squawking and incessant voice of a blue jay – again – just outside my bedroom window. Truly, I was delighted. I confess that when I went to sleep the night before I wondered if the pileated would show up again as magically and unmistakably as it had last year. (I have heard it – or them – hammering relentlessly in the small stand of woods on the edge of our property.)

But Blue Jay’s birthday morning wake up call was such a confirmation! I’ve found at least a dozen Blue Jay feathers over the past couple of weeks, probably since the beginning of March. And it’s not as if some poor bird got nailed by a car (or an owl) leaving a pile of feathers. No, it was a couple here and a couple there. Several singlets. And all along at various points along our two and four mile walking routes. Blue Jay has been present.

I feel this is a second chance for me to notice and continue to pay attention to this theme being set for my year.

Joining Heaven and Earth

I’ve looked up the meaning of Blue Jay many times over the years, but I must confess, I only retain a cursory recollection of what many birds and animals represent. Since I’m working with them for others so often, I try not focus on specific characteristics because I don’t want to have any pre-conceived notions when I journey to find power animals for others.

The last time I’d probably looked up Blue Jay for my own edification was when two pairs of blue jays nested above both of the doorways to our home. That was about 15 years ago at least, possibly 20. And all I remembered was that the feathers of blue jays signify the sky (blue) joining heaven (white) and earth (black). Beyond that, I just generally enjoy their somewhat pugnacious attitudes, even if they can be a bit annoying.

Audubon.org

A Different Perspective

So when I looked up Blue Jay again last night, I felt a bit of a chill ripple through me. The message feels like it is much more specific than just some random application of the three colors of its feathers.

This is from Animal Speak* by Ted Andrews:

“KEYNOTE: The Proper Use of Power        CYCLE OF POWER: Year Round

(…) For those to whom the jay comes as a totem, it can reflect lessons in using your own power properly. It can also reflect lessons in not allowing yourself to be placed in a position in which power is misused against you.

(…) It has the ability to link the heavens and earth, to access each for greater power.

The black and white markings found on its blue wings also reflect this same ability. The sky (blue) separates the Heavens (white) and the earth (black). This is a totem that can move between both and tap the primal energies at either level. The jay is aware of this innate ability, and this is reflected in its blue crest – higher knowledge that can be used.

The bright blue crest of the jay should always be a reminder that to wear the crown of true mastership requires dedication, responsibility, and committed development in all things in the physical and the spiritual. The blue jay is a reminder to follow through on all things – to not start something and then leave it dangling.

The blue jay reflects that a time of greater resourcefulness and adaptability is about to unfold. You are going to have ample opportunities to develop and use your abilities. The jay does not usually migrate, staying around all winter, so look for there to be ample time to develop and use your energies to access new levels. It will stay around and work with you as long as you need it.

The blue jay is actually a member of the crow family, and most crows have no fear. Crows and jays alike will gang up to harass and drive off owls and hawks. The jay is fearless, and it is because of this that it can help you to connect with the deepest mysteries of the earth and the greatest of the heavens.

(…)

(…) If the jay has flown into your life, it indicates that you are moving into a time where you can begin to develop the innate royalty that is within you, or simple be a pretender to the throne. It all depends upon you. The jay has no qualms. It will teach you either direction.”

Gauntlet Thrown

Obviously, I’ve excerpted here (and it was still a long post!). And if experience is any lesson, undoubtedly the parts I’ve left out will be the ones that end up having the most significance.

But all in all, I tried to include here the paragraphs that hit me hardest when I read them. In other words, “Yeah, I need to commit. I need to be courageous. I need to do the work.”

I’d say the gauntlet has been thrown. Blue Jay has come knocking and is ready, willing, and able to kick my ass if I don’t develop and use my abilities, apparently in a new or different way than I have so far.

And quite frankly, I feel this relates in particular to developing or offering who I am  in service to others in the face of this utterly unique challenge our entire world is facing.

Finally, it’s not lost on me that blue jays are corvids. I’ve known that blue jays, crows, ravens are all corvids, and every time I’ve written about the pandemic I’ve had to stop and make sure I was writing COVID-19 – not corvid. Somehow or another, that feels relevant. Or at least noteworthy.

So Blue Jay’s been showing up in my life for weeks. Insisting on gaining my attention. Now I know it’s going to be pushing me – as a theme and a messenger – all year. I better buckle down.

abcbirds.org

*affiliate link

**Pretty cool: today’s post is #505, leaving 606 remaining to be written!

(T-606)

Themes and Messages – Day 504

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I am loved – Photo: L. Weikel

Themes and Messages

I should’ve started writing this post on themes and messages earlier. It’s getting late and I’ve been a total hog this weekend, indulging in sushi (yes, Karl does know my weakness – witness his Valentine’s Day ‘score’ this year, too) and two – two! – birthday cakes.

Last night I baked myself one of ‘Carol’s chocolate cakes,’ so Karl and I could celebrate all weekend. You know. Be totally decadent and use my birthday to justify the massive stress eating we’ve been engaging in lately. <<Ahem>> As you can see from the photo below, someone very neatly ‘edged’ along the entire width of the cake tonight with her fork. I think it looks decorative.

Carol’s Chocolate Cake – neatly ‘edged’ – Photo: L. Weikel

I couldn’t help it.

But to make matters exponentially worse (not a good word to use, come to think of it) – lo and behold! – my d-i-l Tiffany baked and delivered to me this gorgeous and delectable berry torte with whipped cream and cream cheese icing!

Oh my goodness…take a look at that baby. Tell me you don’t gain five pounds just by looking at it.

All of which is to say that I’m sitting here on the couch in a semi-stupor.

Tiffany’s Berry Birthday Torte – Photo: T.Dollar

Last Year/This Year

There are two sets of pretty interesting themes and messages that I noted last year on my birthday – both of which I want to reflect upon. But if I’m honest, I fear the sugar and fat coursing through my system at this point is not conducive to me writing anything even remotely coherent.

So I will ‘set up’ the stories, if you will, and promise to flesh them out for you in future posts.

Living Breathing Messengers

Both last year and this year, oddly, I was pulled from my slumber by two different types of birds. Last year, a pileated woodpecker literally hammered its way into my dreams until I awakened and saw it clinging to the bark of the maple tree just outside my bedroom window. What a sight that was! They dwarf most of the other birds that hang out around (or swoop through) our yard.

This year it was a completely different bird – but one that seems to have been ‘stalking’ me for a couple weeks now. The fact that I’d noticed this bird had left me a good handful of feathers from all different points along our walks over the past few weeks, flown across my path a number of times, and simply made itself quite obvious, I had to smile as I lay in bed this morning, my consciousness rising up from the depths, when I realized the insistent voice I kept hearing was this very same bird.

Mind you: for weeks, I’ve noticed it and thought solely of the one snippet of knowledge I have about the ‘message’ of this bird. I kept telling myself I needed to look it up, but never seemed to get around to it. I was also dismissing that it was really showing up for me, talking myself out of the mystical sense I was feeling when I kept finding its feathers, and telling myself that these birds have always been in our vicinity (which is true). I used that fact to actively attempt to deny that there was anything ‘special’ about their appearance this year.

Medicine Card Messengers

The other comparison I wanted to make, which if I type fast I may be able to spit out and thus not belabor were my Medicine Card* ‘picks’ on my birthday last year and now this.

I had to look up what I chose on my birthday last year. Luckily I write them down every morning when Karl and I sit, have our coffee, choose our cards for the day.

Last year I chose Dog/Lizard. Dog’s primary message is all about loyalty. Loyalty to ourselves, loyalty to others – and loyalty that’s shown (or not) to us by others.

When I looked that up just moments ago, I had to tip my hat to Spirit. Without question, the lessons I learned about loyalty and how it played out in my life were the biggest, most difficult, challenging, hurtful, and enlightening ones of my entire year. I certainly didn’t see them coming – at least not from the direction they came – and as they unfolded, their very nature was so surreal that the whole situation felt like a very bad dream.

This year’s pick, today’s cards, were Armadillo/Snake.

Given everything that’s going on all around us, from the pandemic to the personal, these cards feel like an amazingly perfect selection as a theme for my personal year. The need to cultivate my skills in setting and defining boundaries – both to give myself space and to protect myself – and shedding a number of things (beliefs, roles, relationships), including perhaps the outer identity I’ve had for some time, in order to reveal a new aspect of myself and my path.

Intriguing.

*affiliate link

(T-607)

Weird Emotions – Day 503

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Photo: L. Weikel

Weird Emotions

I’m finding the enormity of what we’re seeing unfold around us sneaks up and catches me at the oddest times. I’ll be motoring along, minding my business, when suddenly DT will say or do something that shakes my faith in humanity. And then I find myself juggling a panoply of weird emotions bubbling up at the oddest moments.

While I try to keep my intake of the latest news in balance with the rest of my life, I’ll be the first to admit that on those days that I can’t get outside to take a walk, I’m a little fried by the end of the day.

It poured rain all day today. And I’m not keen on walking in wet weather, to be honest. At least not when the temperature’s hovering around 44 degrees. Yet walking plays such a huge role in keeping my emotions in balance; I find it necessary for my survival. It’s extremely rare for me to begin a walk in a pissy, disagreeable mood and arrive home in the same or worse condition. Not to say it’s not impossible; just less likely.

Star Trek

Karl and I watched the final episode of Picard tonight. It was a worthy season finale. But what surprised me most was when the familiar Star Trek music started playing at the end, my eyes welled up and a couple tears rolled down my cheeks! I found myself suddenly thinking about Karl, in whose honor I write these nightly posts as part of my 1111 devotion, and my other sons as well.

All of a sudden I felt this clench in my heart, recognizing the thread that Star Trek has woven throughout my own life: from when I was a kid myself and the first season of Star Trek aired on Philadelphia’s UHF channel 48 (the same channel that carried roller derbies) to right now, when we would gather – pre-Covid-19, mind you – with T and M to watch Picard together.

And all those years in between. Indeed, as we’ve watched Picard, Karl and I have realized that some of the spin-offs and other Star Trek series over the years were actually background noise as we were busy raising the boys. The guys might be watching, but we were either still getting home from work or making dinner or otherwise engaged in being consumed with young family-hood.

So now, mid-Covid-19, we’re going to watch all the shows. At least that’s on the agenda for now.

Mortality Is In the Air

Perhaps it’s the sense that anything could happen at any moment that’s causing my tears to be slightly on a hair trigger. I don’t know. While I can’t say I’m weepy by any stretch of the imagination, I do think I am tapping into something larger. Our shared despair at a lot of the cruelty we’re seeing, perhaps.

I think it was the hope for humanity that was ‘pinged’ in my heart when I heard the Star Trek theme tonight. I want to believe in our better nature. I want to believe that we will rise to the occasion.

(T-608)

A Tragic Blur – Day 502

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A Blur of Green – Photo: L. Weikel

A Tragic Blur

It’s becoming a tragic blur. Every day we’re hearing about more and more people losing their lives to the Coronavirus pandemic that’s exploding in our country. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg, and two weeks from now (April 10th– it’s a date) we’ll wish we were only experiencing the rate of positive tests and deaths we’re reporting and lamenting today. Today’s anguish will seem ‘aspirational’ to our future selves.

If you stay off social media and refuse to turn on your tv or radio, it’s easy to both be a responsible citizen, practicing social distancing and remaining in the orbit of your home, and lose complete track of the insanity unfolding in hospitals all over the country, but especially in New York City. The nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and emergency personnel of all stripes who are operating in overdrive, attempting to meet the tidal wave of need that’s overcoming our cities, are operating within that tragic blur. All they see are people in fear and distress, unable to breathe, desperate for care and compassion.

No filter – Photo: L. Weikel

Guilt of Relative Ease

And here I am, ostensibly doing my best to ‘flatten the curve’ and keep our local hospitals from suffering the same fate as New York’s and becoming inundated with new Covid-19 patients. My sacrifice – if you can even call it that, which I for one honestly cannot in good conscience do – is to refrain from going anywhere other than the grocery store or the pharmacy (to neither of which places I’ve gone in a week). Hardly a sacrifice.

No, I can’t sit in the same room with my son and daughter-in-law, or give them a hug when they appear at our door bearing gifts of pizza and pierogies. But they’re not sick and neither are we. And I want it to stay that way. If not touching or sitting in the same room as them for a couple of weeks or months will do the trick? I’m all for it.

Compared to the horrors of the hospitals? There is none.

Treasure the Little Things

So in honor of those who are in the trenches, in honor of the people who are working slavishly day in and day out trying to save as many lives as possible without having the right equipment or survival mechanisms at their disposal, I try to treasure the little things.

In honor of those who are tragically losing their lives every day, I am trying to appreciate the beauty that surrounds this place where I am forced to stay for not only my own good, but the good of my family, community, county, and state.

What do I see when I pay exquisite attention?

Beauty. Innocence. Magnificence. Agelessness.

And that quality I always seem to come back to no matter how hard I try to focus my attention elsewhere: love.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-609)

New Dude – Day 501

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New Dude – Photo: L. Weikel

New Dude

Late this afternoon I was sitting on the edge of our porch, drinking in the sunshine, writing in my journal, and pretending life was normal. Our house is fairly close to the road, so sometimes when a car drives by I’ll look up. Sometimes I’m quick enough to recognize a neighbor driving by and I’ll manage a wave. A lot of times, though, I don’t realize who’s gone by until it’s too late.

That’s what happened today. I heard the vehicle approaching, but only glanced at it just as it whisked by. I instinctively waved, but figured they hadn’t seen me. I was disappointed I’d not waved sooner when I saw the “POLICE” emblazed on the side of the vehicle just as it slipped beyond my view. I like to be polite and maintain a friendly relationship with our local police department. I appreciate having them around and knowing their faces. And even better – we’ve had some unique experiences over the years.

We Meet Again

It was at least another hour and a half later that Karl and I were walking down our road, Sheila and Spartacus trotting along behind us. Well, Sheila was behind. Spartacus was leading the way, eager as always to see what the next leg of our journey would reveal.

Hearing a car approaching us from behind, we shepherded the hounds to the side of the road, as we usually do. I glanced back to see how close they were and realized it was the same police vehicle I’d seen go past our house earlier.

I smiled and waved as he approached, and the officer slowed down to say hi.

With a big grin, the officer greeted us and, looking toward Karl, said, “That’s quite a haircut!” or something to that effect.

We laughed, but I have to admit, I was surprised he’d noticed Karl’s new ‘look.’ I just don’t imagine people pay that much attention to us. At least, not in that sense. So I was even more surprised when he said, “Yeah, I saw you on the porch when I drove by earlier.”

I interrupted him with the intention of apologizing for not waving and said, “I saw you just as you went by—“

But he continued, “And then I saw you,” he said, glancing at Karl, “and thought – wait. Did he get a drastic haircut? Or did she get a new dude?”

Made Our Evening

Yeah, it’s that big of a change. Karl has had long hair for years – probably twenty at least. But when he realized it was starting to thin on top, he decided to go ‘all or nothing’ – hence his new look since sometimes in January.

It sure was a surprise to realize that even our local police noticed the change enough to comment on it.

It’s a good look. And even though I like it, I tease him a lot. That’s how he knows I love him.

But from now on?  He’ll forever be my ‘new dude.’

(T-610)

Go Gently – Day 500

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Deer on Municipal – Photo: L. Weikel

Go Gently

I think it’s safe to say we’re entering uncharted territory. The next few days are going to herald unprecedented numbers of horrific circumstances that no one believed could or would happen here in the U.S. (We need to go gently.)

Weeks ago, we heard the stories and read the articles and twitter posts by people in Italy, and even though we comprehended the dire warnings intellectually, I think there was a deeply buried adamant belief that it will not happen here. Indeed, I think we’re still telling ourselves that. (We need to go gently.)

Only now, it’s cities, counties, and states across the nation that are telling themselves, “What’s happening in New York is unique to New York. It won’t happen to us.” (We need to go gently.)

A lot of us are realizing that the warnings and alarms about the depth of this crisis were not and are not overstated. We are right to be honoring our governors’ “stay-at-home” orders, exercising wisdom and compassion by isolating ourselves from anyone and everyone, including those we love the most – especially if we don’t live with them or they are in a high risk group. (We need to go gently.)

What’s the Message?

On Monday, Karl, Sheila, Spartacus, and I were trudging up the steep hill that eventually meanders through a horse farm, when I happened to glance into the woods to my right. Standing right there, looking right into my eyes, was a doe. She stood stock still, her eyes looking right into mine.

She did not move. Quite honestly, she did not give off any semblance of anxiety or stress upon knowing for sure she’d been seen. Mind you – this sanquine attitude was conveyed in spite of the fact that we were walking with two dogs.

“Hey Baby! What’s your message?” I cooed to her as I handed Sheila’s leash to Karl and fished my iPhone out of my pocket. “May I take your photo?”

She quietly obliged, even permitting me to take a couple shots from other angles as we continued to slowly climb up the hill, stopping every couple of steps to gain a different perspective and slant on the sun behind her.

“Go gently,” she said. “Risks are everywhere – for you and for me. In the end, the way you walk through these challenges will be the message you send. Remember: all that’s important is love.”

All that’s important is love – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-611)

Tough Decision – Day 499

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Tough Decision

I made a tough decision last night after I posted my missive for the evening and climbed into bed, threading my legs around and between the two dogs and Karl, propping my head and back up on pillows, and petting Tigger, who always hops right up into my face every evening for his “alone-time with Mommy, pet and chin scratch while she reads” ritual.

This post’s peevishness is not linked to the considerable gyrations I go through each night in order to claim even a quarter of the acreage in our queen-sized bed. Those actually make me feel surrounded by love and affection.

No, it stems from the book I’ve been reading: Fall* by Neal Stephenson.

I feel like I’ve been reading this book since Christmas. And while I am a slow reader, I’m also not a person who easily gives up on a book. I wanted to like it; I appreciated that it must’ve taken quite an effort to write. And there were parts that caught my interest. But then the other narrative would kick in and I would feel almost mind-numbingly bored. Ugh. I’d endure those parts, hoping against hope that they’d undoubtedly lead to something worthwhile. I thought I could hang in for the pay dirt.

But last night I made the tough decision. I was putting this book down. (And as I reread that last sentence, I realize it can almost be read as if I decided to take it to the vet.) It just was not serving my needs which, to be completely honest, have particularly shifted in recent weeks.

I need a distraction. I yearn to escape from reality, and revel in another story line than the one we’re living in, which is only going to become more and more like a disaster movie in the days ahead.

Delightful Discovery

I made that fateful decision last night as I put Fall* down on the floor beside my bed. “Done,” I said out loud. “I’m done with you.”

Imagine my surprise this afternoon when I walked past our bookcase (mind you, I have a stack of about five books beside my bed, so why was my glance wandering onto the bookshelf?) when my eyes immediately lit upon a title that just clicked into place: The Book of Dust*.

I pulled it out. It’s by Philip Pullman. I love the earlier series he wrote: His Dark Materials, which starts with The Golden Compass*.

I’m so excited! What a delightful discovery in this time of dystopic reality.

And before you judge me for not completing Fall, I have to tell you: I’ve read 483 pages of this sucker and I’m still not feeling compelled by it. 483 pages! And there are exactly 400 more pages in this tome. So…I feel I’ve given it more than honorable shot at winning me over.

But you know what? I – just – can’t.

We’re literally in the midst of a horrific pandemic. I’m not going to waste one more night reading a book that doesn’t have me captivated. Life’s too short.

 

*affiliate link

(T-612)

New Moon in Aries – Day 498

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Signs of Spring – Photo: L. Weikel

New Moon in Aries

In just a couple of hours the moon will be dark, obscured from our sight because it won’t be reflecting any of the light of the sun. Technically, we’ll be experiencing a new moon in Aries.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the new moon is a particularly fertile time to plant the seeds of ideas, intentions, or commitments we want to set into motion in our lives. One way of looking at it is to think of the dark moon as representing rich, dark, fertile soil that’s a perfect medium for nurturing life and growth. So it is a perfect time to plant those aspirations we hold for the coming days, weeks, and quite possibly beyond.

It’s interesting to read how interpretations of the particular alignment of the planets and moon reflect the challenges we’re being called to face in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Because this is a new moon, the sun and moon are ‘conjunct,’ or sitting at the same degree in the same sign. Thus, as you probably realize, the sun is also in Aries, having entered that sign at the equinox, which took place on March 19th this year.) Chani gives a thought-provoking description of the aspects influencing this particular new moon, and how these influences speak directly to our current experiences here.

Introspection and Hard Questions

As I’ve mentioned a number of times lately, this self-isolation we’re being urged to do (or in more and more cases, ordered to engage in via so-called ‘stay-at-home’ orders) is an unprecedented opportunity to take a deep dive into figuring out who we are and what we value at our core. It’s a chance for us to reflect on the choices we’ve made in our lives. And it quite possibly is a time in which we contemplate making new choices.

It occurs to me as I write this that we are seeing the stark truth of this reflection on what we truly value play out right in front of us on the national stage. Will we choose to continue to self-isolate if we think we may have been exposed to the virus (or simply to avoid the possibility of exposure or being exposed)? Will we choose to withdraw from social interaction and physical contact in order to protect each other and ourselves? Or will we decide that ‘getting back to work’ is more important than the very real possibility of saving lives?

As many are pointing out, a ‘dead’ economy can be revived. A dead person cannot.

Choosing Our Values

In signaling today that we may be urged to ‘return to work’ next week if we have no symptoms (the ostensible end of the 15 days of social distancing begrudgingly advocated by the federal government), we are being given a clear indication on the macro level of just what is of most value to our so-called ‘leaders.’ Indeed, I saw a clip just this evening of the Lt. Governor of Texas saying that grandparents would be happy to give their lives to provide a healthy economy to their grandchildren.

That’s an utterly absurd and appalling ‘choice’ for our government to be suggesting we make. And it’s not even true. (Surprise.) Choosing to knowingly risk even greater spread of this virus would only serve to kill more people and crash our economy even further. It would be the height of cratered and craven values.

But Here We Are

What seeds do you want to plant today? Where do your deepest values reside? What is most precious to you and how do you intend to express your devotion to it/them?

This is where we find ourselves. Our current way of living is unsustainable – on so many levels.

But we can do this. We can make the choices that will enable love, caring, and compassion to flourish. If that’s what really matters to each of us.

Crocus – Photo: L. Weikel

 

(T-613)

Hold On – Day 497

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Cloud Shark – Photo: L. Weikel

Hold On

I’m not going to sugar coat it: last week was pretty awful. And each day seemed to take us a couple steps further down the road to – where, exactly? I’m not sure. But no matter how you look at things, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that they’re going to get worse this week. And all we can do is hold on.

One reason things will get worse this week is because this is the first Monday of a week in which, almost everywhere, if you’re not considered an employee in an ‘essential industry’ then you will be home.

Shock to the System

This whole concept, the very idea that so many of us will no longer have an office to report to, will come as a shock to not only ‘the’ system but ‘our’ systems as well: not only our national, regional, and local economic systems, but also to our internal systems, our sense of who we are and how we personally fit into the world.

I’m not saying this to be doom and gloom. I’m saying this so you can prepare your internal system – your navigation system, your system of balance, your sense of self and how you go about your day, your comprehension of your place in the Universe. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to arrive and people are going to feel like they’ve been playing The Game of Life and their dog just bounded into the room and upended the game board, scattering the pieces to the four winds.

Boom.

We’re In This Together

If I can assure any of you reading this right now of anything, I want you to know that we’re all in this together. Every single one of us is going to be impacted by either the Coronavirus (Covid-19) or the economics of basically having our entire economy slow to a point where it’s a shell of its former self. And let’s face it: many if not most of us may ultimately end up having to deal with both.

As the week starts off, I’d like to suggest that you smudge your home. You’ll recall that smudging is a cleansing ritual in which you use the smoke of a burning bundle of sage (or of some leaves of sage burning in an appropriate container) to cleanse and purify your environment. Even just lighting up some sage and breathing in the scent can clear your head and help shift your perspective.

I feel we could all benefit from setting ourselves up for success as we set out on our quests this week.

And quests they are: discovering who we are when all our familiar touchstones (for us adults, our jobs or vocations, our workplaces, our favorite places to work out or be with friends, and for our children, our schools, our sports and competitions, our musicals and school plays and band practice) are suddenly gone or unavailable to us…

Pondering the Questions

Who are we when all the things we’ve done almost without thinking for as long as we can remember are taken away from us? Who are we when we have no errands to run? No clients to call? Who are we when we suddenly have the time to do those things we’ve told ourselves we’d rather be doing? Maybe those yearnings should’ve been updated a decade ago. Maybe they’re no longer a reflection of our dreams? Maybe they were an illusion, a fantasy that simply kept us from loving our lived experience.

As we figure these things out, it’s important we remember: we’re all in this together. We’re going to get through it. It’s true, we may find that some people and situations – including ourselves – are a disappointment. These realizations will call for adjustments. But all in all? I’d wager we’re going to discover some amazing treasures along the way. Precisely because we’re all in this together.

So hold on. Take heart. Wash your hands; keep your distance; and know that together we can get through anything. And we’re going to come through it all transformed.

Magnolia buds – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-614)

Feeding the Birds – Day 496

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Feeding the Birds – Photo: L. Weikel

Feeding the Birds

Some of you may remember my semi-flip out back in September when suddenly all the birds not only went silent but actually left the premises. It was a long 20 days or so before they finally started returning, much to my huge relief. It’s possible, I suppose, that they all just suddenly discovered plentiful seeds and other treats somewhere else. But the abruptness and totality of their departure – and the similar abruptness of their return – just seemed kind of weird.

I do intend to pay attention this fall, to see if they make it into an annual habit.

Looking For Normal

This past week felt like I was trapped in a time warp. Every day I had to make a concerted effort to steady and ground myself – almost as if I’d awakened in the midst of an ocean and had to regain my sea legs before I could walk into the next room. But it wasn’t a physical wavering. It was a psychological one – or perhaps even deeper; perhaps an existential one.

So many assumptions and fundamental beliefs I’ve held about our country and our ability to respond to any challenge – no matter how grave, how daunting, or how threatening – have been shattered this week. And the worst part about that? The worst part is knowing that it was completely avoidable. The worst part is knowing that our lack of preparation and ability to respond (responsibility) was facilitated by the deliberate obfuscation of those at the highest levels of our government.

And people are starting to get sick and die in numbers that grow exponentially, daily, as a result.

So? Having no real power to effect meaningful change until Election Day, I need to look for normal amidst the chaos. Looking for normal yesterday afternoon meant feeding my birds.

Everyday Joy

The temperature outside climbed to 78 degrees yesterday. Needing to ground myself and reconnect to what’s real and sustainable, I found myself sitting on my porch in the sunshine, reveling in birdsong. For a precious few minutes, I was able to wrap myself in a cocoon of delight as I listened to the robins and the fish crows trill and grok, respectively. I watched both two red shouldered woodpeckers and a downy cling to my front feeder and push around a chickadee, then heard but could not see-to-save-my-life the producer of the unmistakable, heavy-billed <<thwacking>> of a pileated just beyond the garage.

I watched goldfinches, house finches, sparrows and wrens flit and flutter amongst the shelter of the carcass of our Christmas tree, which we prop against one of the maples in our yard each year to give them additional cover from the sharp-shinned and red-tailed hawks that patrol the area. Nuthatches marched upside down on the maples and I even glimpsed either a blue bird or an indigo bunting before it disappeared into the thicket along our driveway.

My effort to reclaim normal consisted of the measured, meditative act of filling our birdfeeders and feeding the birds.

Pandemic Partners

I hope I’ll be able to keep my feeders filled over the coming months. The joy and sense of connection with All Life that birds give me is abundantly healing and centering. I recently came across this great article with excellent tips on how to make our yards welcoming, safe, and enticing to these wonderful creatures. It affirmed why Karl and I are so lucky to have so many feathered friends sharing this land we call home.

So many of the suggestions in this article are sound common sense, but they’re also little ways of changing our relationship with birds and Mother Earth that help bring us into balance with Her.

And ultimately, as we make our way through the devastation of this pandemic, coming back into balance with Mother Earth will be key. Celebrating and appreciating our birds can remind us of that.

Goldfinch – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-615)