the simplest things are never easy

Dear Clare,

I believe that you are correct and that it is simple...
connection is simply opening to others and being visible...
maybe even transparent.
But simple is not always easy.
It takes great courage to stand up to the angry mob...
to pull back that curtain...thanks for using the Oz reference...I love that movie!
to acknowledge the possibility that the our perceived reality is merely illusion...
and that we have the power to expose the truth.

I am left sadly wondering how the bus situation would have turn out if someone had attempted to reach out with kindness to the drunken man when he became unruly?

So my travels begin tomorrow. I will check in here in the morning and then we will be gone until Monday.
I was getting daughter#1's opinion on what to pack last night...
she told me that I need to accessorize...
so as I was going through my jewelery I found an old, folded up article from a magazine on happiness. I obviously got something from this article years ago, enough to make me tear it out, mark the highlights and keep it.
It talked about finding happiness in the ordinary...not looking for peak experiences because they supply only temporary highs and then are followed by a let down...but in mindful appreciation of the ordinary.
So to tie this in to our discussion...
maybe happiness is being able to simple engage another person...
to fully appreciate them for their strengths and weaknesses...
and to allow them to see us.
Now to find the courage to do just that.
As I have been walking recently I have been imagining going to the Night Out (the walk against abuse) event next year and speaking of my experiences and pointing out the epidemic proportions of abuse in our world and then suggesting Me Too...and seeing what happens.
Perhaps other opportunities will arise prior to that...
For now we need to make the attempt to reconnect to our family of origin, by sharing this blog.
I think that before we have the strength to do anything on a public level we need to at least weather the storm of our own family of origin.

I wish you good sleep and sweet dreams
Blessings,
Maggie.