“We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart.” ― Pema Chödrön
I stumbled upon this quote this weekend and have been pondering it ever since. It rings true for me as this new month starts… life is not “passing the test” or overcoming the problem. There is no point when it suddenly all becomes easier, no apex moment to achieve with a reward of “down hill” ease. No, new tests/challenges keep popping up and there is always a new problem…always. Yet despite all of that, Pema’s wisdom in the continuity of things coming together and falling apart is somehow comforting.
Good things to keep in mind as my household approaches one year of Safer at Home… yes, we started in early February 2020. A year of being distant, masking up, and thinking about “is this trip absolutely necessary.” A habit now it seems, yet this weekend our discussions included frustration, disappointment, and longing for life before COVID.
But!! I had an interesting discussion about the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this weekend, and while it might not score as high as the currently available vaccines, it does boast a very impressive stat… preventing hospitalizations and deaths! More Pema echo’s….they come together.
The reminder for me this morning is that there is no “magic button” but rather a determination to keep on going and hope there is more coming together and less falling apart. (Or if they do fall apart, may they be easily fixed!)
Finally, in these socially distant times there was some most excellent coming together… a small group of fiber enthusiasts got together Saturday afternoon via the wonder of the internet and we spent time spinning, and talking, and laughing, and sharing. We have plans to meet twice a month… and if you’d like to join us, you would absolutely be welcome!
Happy Monday, everyone! See you all back here for some unraveling on Wednesday!
Happy First Monday in January! There might be a wee bit of excitement in my house this morning as Steve returns to his “usual schedule” this week…whew! LOL
My day is full of so many things from laundry to Undecorating to OLW contemplation… a truly varied list. I am hoping that laundry becomes less “mundane” when paired with OLW contemplation.
This short poem that I listened to yesterday was so full! It is going to be my guide for a January of quiet contemplation. I hope you find something in these words to help your January get off to a very good start! See you all back here on Wednesday for some “first finishes” of the New Year!
Winter Is the Best Time
by David Budbill
Winter is the best time
to find out who you are.
Quiet, contemplation time,
away from the rushing world,
cold time, dark time, holed-up
pulled-in time and space
to see that inner landscape,
that place hidden and within.
I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. — Charlie Brown
I don’t know about you, but this is truly the Charlie Browniest Christmas ever because this is definitely the feel in my house this year. Steve has talked about it, my kids are talking about it. And I am sure as heck feeling it.
So what’s a body to do when you don’t feel the way you are supposed to? My “Modus Operandi” is to ignore, avoid, and squelch down all those “not happy feelings” and it works, for awhile anyways. Until that last straw arrives and then… whoosh. The dam is broken and ignoring and avoiding are no longer possible. The dam broke for me last week… and it was okay. I was not swept away. Yes, there were tears – lots of them. Yes, there was some fist shaking anger at all this. But it was okay. And while I would not call my current attitude “happy,” it is close. And better than that, today I am absolutely at peace.
And!!! That light at the end of the tunnel has not diminished at all! I listened to this cheerful little podcast on Sunday and my hope is growing! (and I laughed, which really helps that happy attitude…lots!) I am so thankful for all the brilliant scientists… they have made my hope grow and grow and grow!
Finally, Clara Parkes shared this video earlier this month and I just loved it. It was the perfect thing to put on the television to watch while I knit. And!! Sherman also loves it! But did you know there are a couple dozen videos on the Movie Squirrel YouTube site?? This truly is magic and brings me such joy watching, especially this one, which is perfect for Christmas Week! Sherman and I wish you much joy as you watch!
I will be back on Wednesday, to share a bit of knitting and reading!
I am wondering this morning just where the weekend went… it was here, but boy, it was over way too fast!
So here we are on Monday, but it is the most auspicious of Monday’s! You see, it’s the first Monday after the second Wednesday… which means the Electoral Collage is meeting today! It seems like it’s been 10 years since Election Day, doesn’t it? Today, Joe Biden will have 306 electoral votes, the other guy will get 232 (you need 270 to win). I have been keeping track of the numbers and thought you all might get a chuckle at these numbers. Since Election Day, the other guy and his band of merry fools have tried and tried and tried again to make something out of nothing. They must like losing because their record?? 1-59. Yep, that is one win (the one win was in PA and a judge said they could move from 10′ to 6′ away from watching canvassing… no I am not kidding. That is the only thing they have in the win column) But how ’bout those losses? (The magic is that they were WINS for the American people!!) Today is one day closer to all these shenanigans being over, but it is a big step.
Now, how about some things to distract you this week!
This week’s night skies should be amazing! First, Jupiter and Saturn are “side by side” – an event that has not happened since 1623. I don’t have a telescope, but I will be out this week with hopes that I will be able to see something. Even if it is only the Geminid meteor shower tonight! (It was too cloudy last night in Pittsburgh, boo!)
Finally, poetry will always be magical to me…I have spent much of this year reading (and listening to) more poetry. I heard this poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay last week and I have not been able to get it out of my head. So I am closing today with it. The name was the first thing I heard and I had no idea at all what Recuerdo meant. I looked it up and it is Spanish for memory or remembrance. This poem is exactly that… may your day have lots of memorable moments. I will see you back here on Wednesday!
There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you’d been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you’re suspended knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself. — Ann Pachett, The Dutch House
Oh boy, another Monday.
It seems like last week the world began to be more topsy-turvy, and overflowing with uncertainty. I cannot get Danny’s voice out of my head because how he describes it is exactly so! The footing has fallen away, and the firmer future is still 58 days away. So here I am, suspended in knowing nothing and no one… not even myself.
I don’t like feeling so helpless with this uncertainty. One thing that is definitely certain – this virus is here and active. Sadly, not everyone gets that, or is it really that not everyone cares? But out in that “not everyone cares” world, are those I hold most dear. There they are braving places where the virus is like a speeding train… work. And I am truly at a loss this morning. Honestly, I am just so damned mad at people, ALL THE PEOPLE!!
I was certain that there would be no magic to fix all of this, but then this morning I heard this poem by Joy Harjo and as I let the words wash over me, I felt the tiniest crack in the dread… the uncertainty.
To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear;
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.
See you all back here on Wednesday… I am excited to share some FINISHED THINGS with you!
