Clare,
So, freedom is detachment, like the Buddhist principle…
I've always been confused by detachment.
I wonder if detachment is from everything…
people,
places,
things?
Can I have true freedom if I love my children desperately?
Do I have to set them free to be truly free?
Do I detach myself from things to the point that I fail to care for them…
or just enough not to cling to them?
I really am confused by this concept.
It is beautiful the way that you describe native american culture…
I just don't know how to process it into my life.
I am starting to read a book called Falling Upward. It's about the two halves of life. The first half is about "building the container"-identity, profession, individuality- the second half is "discovering the contents"- Truths. I haven't really begun reading it, but last night was skimming it. I read a passage about the first half being governed by rules, the second half being governed by conscience. Once you get to a certain point you can break the rules to allow for personal and spiritual growth. It made me think about my move to Quakerism. I have often described it as a maturation of my spirituality- I no longer was served by the rules/dogma of catholicism. I make my own way, led by an internal spiritual compass. I am responsible for my own process. I'm looking forward to digging into this book.
The chili was/is good. There really is no taste or texture of the okra. It has incorporated itself into the other flavors.
Another weekend. It should be beautiful. We have a football game tomorrow afternoon. Despite disliking the game, I enjoy watching my youngest playing to the best of his abilities.
Love and Light beautiful sister,
Maggie
Friday, September 11, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
salamanders
Hi Maggie,
I had two red eft/newt connections today. Nephew called me and the baby out to see one in the backyard, then when I took the baby for a walk, we saw one crossing the road. I picked it up to show her, then walked across the road and put it down. The road is a far place to cross for a creature so tiny. It is so easy to be smashed by a car tire. And of course, I looked up the meaning. Salamanders indicate transformation is imminent. I like that...It went on to say there would be unexpected help from outside which would last as long as I needed it.
I was thinking more about Syria. I remembered Bush's Axis of Evil which included Syria. Syria is right there, tucked in between Iran and Iraq. I remember reading an analysis years ago that said if we expected to get our oil out from under the Black Sea, we had to make a passage way to get it out. We break through these countries, and we have way right through to the Persian Gulf. The article said that if we got that oil, we would not have to conserve for another 25 years.
We have been arming the rebels for years.
But I was also remembering something a Native American man told me. According to their prophecy, we must be ready for refugees here. If the waters rise and the cities along the coast are inundated, people will flee inland. We have to be ready to greet and accept, not to defend and war.
I got sort of involved in a social media drama today. Someone from high school criticized a young mother, in a pizza place, nursing a 2 year old indiscretely. I tried to make a point of not judging other moms. She got mad at me, and so I withdrew. But it was like high school all over again. A Christian woman judging and the rest of us have to agree or we get shamed and ousted. I just remembered how uncomfortable I always felt in that short-sighted, close-minded town.
I think I idealize Native American culture, sort of like I long had a crush on the Quakers. When I read about their society where no one owned property, the leader was the first to give, there was egalitarian division of leadership divided between the genders. Rape was unknown. Money did not exist. I think of that as freedom. Freedom to live on this Earth, in community, having enough, but no more. Working together at one with the Earth...
I look at European culture and the monuments and the cathedrals and the written history, the slavery - feudal culture...then compare it to here...no cathedrals or buildings, no cemeteries...no need to leave monuments to self...no need to enslave others to build those monuments.
Freedom is humane. As long as we are led by the inhumane, we will be enslaved.
I agree that the shaming of Kim Davis, the remarks about her looks, her body - they are wrong, and they detract from the true issue. If she accepts a job where one pledges to uphold the Constitution, then she must do it. Even if it means asking her staff to issue marriage licenses to gay people to avoid doing something she finds sinful. If she does not, then all the jokes about Catholics not selling condoms, Jews not selling ham, vegans not selling meat, Quakers not selling arms will have to be honored.
Each step forward you take is a tiny step into commitment! How was the okra chili? Do you know what I love to put in chili - diced burdock root. It is amazing and so healthy.
I'll be back tomorrow to see what's up with you...
Love and hugs from Clare
I had two red eft/newt connections today. Nephew called me and the baby out to see one in the backyard, then when I took the baby for a walk, we saw one crossing the road. I picked it up to show her, then walked across the road and put it down. The road is a far place to cross for a creature so tiny. It is so easy to be smashed by a car tire. And of course, I looked up the meaning. Salamanders indicate transformation is imminent. I like that...It went on to say there would be unexpected help from outside which would last as long as I needed it.
I was thinking more about Syria. I remembered Bush's Axis of Evil which included Syria. Syria is right there, tucked in between Iran and Iraq. I remember reading an analysis years ago that said if we expected to get our oil out from under the Black Sea, we had to make a passage way to get it out. We break through these countries, and we have way right through to the Persian Gulf. The article said that if we got that oil, we would not have to conserve for another 25 years.
We have been arming the rebels for years.
But I was also remembering something a Native American man told me. According to their prophecy, we must be ready for refugees here. If the waters rise and the cities along the coast are inundated, people will flee inland. We have to be ready to greet and accept, not to defend and war.
I got sort of involved in a social media drama today. Someone from high school criticized a young mother, in a pizza place, nursing a 2 year old indiscretely. I tried to make a point of not judging other moms. She got mad at me, and so I withdrew. But it was like high school all over again. A Christian woman judging and the rest of us have to agree or we get shamed and ousted. I just remembered how uncomfortable I always felt in that short-sighted, close-minded town.
I think I idealize Native American culture, sort of like I long had a crush on the Quakers. When I read about their society where no one owned property, the leader was the first to give, there was egalitarian division of leadership divided between the genders. Rape was unknown. Money did not exist. I think of that as freedom. Freedom to live on this Earth, in community, having enough, but no more. Working together at one with the Earth...
I look at European culture and the monuments and the cathedrals and the written history, the slavery - feudal culture...then compare it to here...no cathedrals or buildings, no cemeteries...no need to leave monuments to self...no need to enslave others to build those monuments.
Freedom is humane. As long as we are led by the inhumane, we will be enslaved.
I agree that the shaming of Kim Davis, the remarks about her looks, her body - they are wrong, and they detract from the true issue. If she accepts a job where one pledges to uphold the Constitution, then she must do it. Even if it means asking her staff to issue marriage licenses to gay people to avoid doing something she finds sinful. If she does not, then all the jokes about Catholics not selling condoms, Jews not selling ham, vegans not selling meat, Quakers not selling arms will have to be honored.
Each step forward you take is a tiny step into commitment! How was the okra chili? Do you know what I love to put in chili - diced burdock root. It is amazing and so healthy.
I'll be back tomorrow to see what's up with you...
Love and hugs from Clare
little goals
Clare,
If this is not how it's supposed to be…
then what is right?
How is it supposed to be?
Rhetorical questions…
I'm turning them over in my mind.
I guess we all live freely…
but what does that look like?
Even if there isn't ownership outright there are roles and norms to keep us in line…
I'm thinking about that Kentucky clerk, refusing to issue marriage licenses…
I disagree with her…
but people have taken to slut shaming and calling her out on her looks…
forcing her into compliance…
with norms and roles prescribed by no one and everyone at the same time.
What does free look and feel like?
I, too, have been mesmerized by the migration crisis…
watching countries posturing who will bear the load of the masses.
We've been talking about it prior to class for the past week…
discussing each day's news…
I wonder why the US and Europe don't go into Syria and northern Africa to "stabilize" the region?
We're always going into other countries' business and politics…
but we are standing by despite a humanitarian crisis.
I guess there's no oil at stake here…
or other products we want to get our hands on.
The bullies should be stopped…
but how is the all important question?
I submitted an outline for my proposed spring course today…
one step forward…
each step forward will make it harder for me to change my mind…
I have to push to attain little goals or I will be distracted and it will never happen.
I put the okra into vegetarian chili…
I hope it's not too slimy.
Love and Light beautiful sister,
Maggie
If this is not how it's supposed to be…
then what is right?
How is it supposed to be?
Rhetorical questions…
I'm turning them over in my mind.
I guess we all live freely…
but what does that look like?
Even if there isn't ownership outright there are roles and norms to keep us in line…
I'm thinking about that Kentucky clerk, refusing to issue marriage licenses…
I disagree with her…
but people have taken to slut shaming and calling her out on her looks…
forcing her into compliance…
with norms and roles prescribed by no one and everyone at the same time.
What does free look and feel like?
I, too, have been mesmerized by the migration crisis…
watching countries posturing who will bear the load of the masses.
We've been talking about it prior to class for the past week…
discussing each day's news…
I wonder why the US and Europe don't go into Syria and northern Africa to "stabilize" the region?
We're always going into other countries' business and politics…
but we are standing by despite a humanitarian crisis.
I guess there's no oil at stake here…
or other products we want to get our hands on.
The bullies should be stopped…
but how is the all important question?
I submitted an outline for my proposed spring course today…
one step forward…
each step forward will make it harder for me to change my mind…
I have to push to attain little goals or I will be distracted and it will never happen.
I put the okra into vegetarian chili…
I hope it's not too slimy.
Love and Light beautiful sister,
Maggie
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
random thoughts
Hi Maggie,
Hope all is well.
I worked a long day today, then had a hard time pushing my butt out the door to walk. But I did it. I am trying to get past this...hummmmm...to - I walk every day - that's just what I do.
I have some random thoughts to release here. More strange thoughts from my strange mind, I guess...
A dear friend bought a cottage at the next lake over, and invited some of us over for a barbecue on Sunday. It was so nice to sit and relax and watch the water. I had, once again, a feeling of the femininity of the water. Suddenly I understood why Latin languages use gendered articles. When I learned Spanish I had such a hard time with the concept of a window being female. I had to do a lot of memorizing. It didn't make sense to my Saxon influenced brain. But being outside, with the lake, I could sense masculinity and femininity. I think the southern people, who lived intimately with the Mediterranean also understood/understand.
Also, I have been watching a lot of videos of the Syrian refugees reaching Germany. They are greeted with welcoming cheers, and every single time I start to cry. I am not sure why I am so emotionally connected to this story. I read a little about the history, about the Arab Spring, about people asking for freedom, of the brutality used to keep them in slavery.
When there is an awful leader in the world, why does the rest of the world simply accept it? I am also thinking of Cheney. What responsibility do we have? Turning our back on the bullies, even if we tsk-tsk and say they're bad - we allow the brutality to continue.
Anyway I have been crying a lot...
I also watched a video of some animals rescued from industrial farms. I saw them take their first steps on grass. I saw chickens able to stretch their wings for the first time. I thought they were rescued from slavery for a lesser degree of slavery. They are fenced in and controlled - granted it is done with kindness - yet they are not free. They are owned by someone.
We seem to be able to put levels of slavery on a spectrum, and make some rough decisions about what it okay, what is not...what is ethical, what is cruel. But we never ask the basic question - can sentient entities be owned?
It sort of loops back to people escaping from Syria, from brutality, to European countries where they will have to work or file with the government, to be labeled and identified and told where and how they must live. It's still slavery, but we are so grateful because it is not as brutal...
We are all slaves, whether we see the master or not. We don't have any more freedom than the pigs in farrow crates who can not turn over.
It's not supposed to be this way...
Lots to chew on...
Love and hugs from Clare
Hope all is well.
I worked a long day today, then had a hard time pushing my butt out the door to walk. But I did it. I am trying to get past this...hummmmm...to - I walk every day - that's just what I do.
I have some random thoughts to release here. More strange thoughts from my strange mind, I guess...
A dear friend bought a cottage at the next lake over, and invited some of us over for a barbecue on Sunday. It was so nice to sit and relax and watch the water. I had, once again, a feeling of the femininity of the water. Suddenly I understood why Latin languages use gendered articles. When I learned Spanish I had such a hard time with the concept of a window being female. I had to do a lot of memorizing. It didn't make sense to my Saxon influenced brain. But being outside, with the lake, I could sense masculinity and femininity. I think the southern people, who lived intimately with the Mediterranean also understood/understand.
Also, I have been watching a lot of videos of the Syrian refugees reaching Germany. They are greeted with welcoming cheers, and every single time I start to cry. I am not sure why I am so emotionally connected to this story. I read a little about the history, about the Arab Spring, about people asking for freedom, of the brutality used to keep them in slavery.
When there is an awful leader in the world, why does the rest of the world simply accept it? I am also thinking of Cheney. What responsibility do we have? Turning our back on the bullies, even if we tsk-tsk and say they're bad - we allow the brutality to continue.
Anyway I have been crying a lot...
I also watched a video of some animals rescued from industrial farms. I saw them take their first steps on grass. I saw chickens able to stretch their wings for the first time. I thought they were rescued from slavery for a lesser degree of slavery. They are fenced in and controlled - granted it is done with kindness - yet they are not free. They are owned by someone.
We seem to be able to put levels of slavery on a spectrum, and make some rough decisions about what it okay, what is not...what is ethical, what is cruel. But we never ask the basic question - can sentient entities be owned?
It sort of loops back to people escaping from Syria, from brutality, to European countries where they will have to work or file with the government, to be labeled and identified and told where and how they must live. It's still slavery, but we are so grateful because it is not as brutal...
We are all slaves, whether we see the master or not. We don't have any more freedom than the pigs in farrow crates who can not turn over.
It's not supposed to be this way...
Lots to chew on...
Love and hugs from Clare
Monday, September 7, 2015
find the true query
Hi Maggie,
I also love the feeling of belonging. It creeps up occasionally when I least expect it. I have found it is a very quiet place. When I try to belong, it is not quiet. I am over-thinking, ill-at-ease.
My granddaughter and I have an ongoing joke. I ask, "What's the rule for belonging to this family?" And she always answers, "You have to be weird." Refusing to conform has become a bit of a family standard. I like the idea that it is dangerous and revolutionary!
I saw a meme today, featuring the woman who started the Grey Panthers. She said old age is the time to be outrageous, and she vowed to be outraged or outrageous at least once a week. Maybe we should make a pact.
For us, with education, unschooling, except for Saxon Math, we really didn't use curricula. We followed passions. That gave us all the variety we could possibly need. We called in outsiders, we took classes, we read, we took courses. It was so exhilarating.
For me, an RE teacher is only with the kids for one hour a week, during meeting. It is so different that being a FAP...and I just realized I am off on a tangent...Who should be court mandated reporters? That is the key question here. I have such mixed feelings because I have seen DSS do some horrible things. And I have a basic mistrust of anything governmental. I wish it was not the government we had to report to. I have also seen nuisance calls to DSS, getting back at someone...which led to bad things for the kids.
I don't think I have a problem with reporting. I have a problem with who we are forced to report to...
I know I was very upset when asked to sign a form stating I would not abuse the kids in a youth program. I was there as a supporting adult. An abuser would sign, knowing that was the way to get close to the kids.
None of this is authentic. I know this is the stupid answer, but we need to be part of community. Within true community, with true connections and awareness, child abuse is not such a secret. And it does not have to happen - because there is support and nurture and someone to help. Reporting to DSS will not lead to community. It will only further destroy community.
As Friends, we do have to be brave enough to do something. So, if we choose not to be listed as court mandated reporters, what will we do instead?
We have to do something. This may be the query to take before Friends.
I like vegetables. A lot. And I am willing to try any vegetable. So far, there's only one vegetable I have ever, ever found that I simply do not like. Okra. To me, it is bland and it is slimy. These are two of my least favorite sensations. Together - yuck! My son lived in North Carolina when he did his apprenticeship. He said the deep fried okra was good. But I don't eat deep fried foods, so I will never know!
I have my house pulled apart. It is a mess here. I am taking everything off shelves and cleaning, and probably moving them. I guess I'm getting ready for winter.
I had the baby overnight, and we had a marvelously soaking time giving the dogs baths today. As I was combing one, after her bath, I noticed she only had a few fleas near her tail. The rest of her was clear - she has more problems with skin allergies than anything else. I always thought fleas liked to congregate near the head because they used the eyes and lips as a source of fluid. I wondered about hind-end fleas. Then my mind did the weird thing... and I wondered if the universe was a dog. Sometimes, resources seemed very far away. But sometimes the dog curled up to sleep and the tail was right there, nearby. Maybe worm-holes are just sleepy dogs.
So that's where my mind is today!
It is quiet, I have lots to do...later, little sister!
Love and hugs from Clare
I also love the feeling of belonging. It creeps up occasionally when I least expect it. I have found it is a very quiet place. When I try to belong, it is not quiet. I am over-thinking, ill-at-ease.
My granddaughter and I have an ongoing joke. I ask, "What's the rule for belonging to this family?" And she always answers, "You have to be weird." Refusing to conform has become a bit of a family standard. I like the idea that it is dangerous and revolutionary!
I saw a meme today, featuring the woman who started the Grey Panthers. She said old age is the time to be outrageous, and she vowed to be outraged or outrageous at least once a week. Maybe we should make a pact.
For us, with education, unschooling, except for Saxon Math, we really didn't use curricula. We followed passions. That gave us all the variety we could possibly need. We called in outsiders, we took classes, we read, we took courses. It was so exhilarating.
For me, an RE teacher is only with the kids for one hour a week, during meeting. It is so different that being a FAP...and I just realized I am off on a tangent...Who should be court mandated reporters? That is the key question here. I have such mixed feelings because I have seen DSS do some horrible things. And I have a basic mistrust of anything governmental. I wish it was not the government we had to report to. I have also seen nuisance calls to DSS, getting back at someone...which led to bad things for the kids.
I don't think I have a problem with reporting. I have a problem with who we are forced to report to...
I know I was very upset when asked to sign a form stating I would not abuse the kids in a youth program. I was there as a supporting adult. An abuser would sign, knowing that was the way to get close to the kids.
None of this is authentic. I know this is the stupid answer, but we need to be part of community. Within true community, with true connections and awareness, child abuse is not such a secret. And it does not have to happen - because there is support and nurture and someone to help. Reporting to DSS will not lead to community. It will only further destroy community.
As Friends, we do have to be brave enough to do something. So, if we choose not to be listed as court mandated reporters, what will we do instead?
We have to do something. This may be the query to take before Friends.
I like vegetables. A lot. And I am willing to try any vegetable. So far, there's only one vegetable I have ever, ever found that I simply do not like. Okra. To me, it is bland and it is slimy. These are two of my least favorite sensations. Together - yuck! My son lived in North Carolina when he did his apprenticeship. He said the deep fried okra was good. But I don't eat deep fried foods, so I will never know!
I have my house pulled apart. It is a mess here. I am taking everything off shelves and cleaning, and probably moving them. I guess I'm getting ready for winter.
I had the baby overnight, and we had a marvelously soaking time giving the dogs baths today. As I was combing one, after her bath, I noticed she only had a few fleas near her tail. The rest of her was clear - she has more problems with skin allergies than anything else. I always thought fleas liked to congregate near the head because they used the eyes and lips as a source of fluid. I wondered about hind-end fleas. Then my mind did the weird thing... and I wondered if the universe was a dog. Sometimes, resources seemed very far away. But sometimes the dog curled up to sleep and the tail was right there, nearby. Maybe worm-holes are just sleepy dogs.
So that's where my mind is today!
It is quiet, I have lots to do...later, little sister!
Love and hugs from Clare
Sunday, September 6, 2015
breaking from normal
Clare,
I like the feeling of belonging…
but I sometimes am seduced by the idea of belonging.
If I do or say the right thing…
then I'll belong.
That frightens me.
Early on…
when my kids were struggling in school I read something that said something like…
once people realize they have a choice…
those that shoos to exercise an alternative choice are the most"dangerous" to the system…
once a person has the courage to buck the system once they don't stop questioning.
I took my kids out of public school for alternative educations…
Montessori, homeschool, cyber school, charter schools, parochial school…
we have tried (and are still trying) many things…
carefully considering the child's needs at that time…
It was piece-meal, but effective…
I'm still doing it with one in parochial school and one in cyber-school.
That break with "normal" allowed me to leave the church that no longer resonated with my understanding of spirituality. It allowed me to separate from a marriage that had long ago died. It allowed me to resurrect that same marriage, not out of obligation but from a place of surrender and wisdom. At times I still want to run away…but the lessons are here to help me to mature and grow.
So I stay…
by choice.
How do you feel about RE teachers being mandated reporters?
I get so frustrated by the view that it is intrusive and an unreasonable intrusion by the government.
My view is that people have had decades or centuries to report child abuse and most have felt uncomfortable and ignored it or felt it was not their problem…now there are rules saying that if there is suspicion you must report.
Doesn't your conscience tell you the same thing?
I've reported suspected child abuse multiple times since I finished medical school. It's damned uncomfortable to make that call…
but it might save a child trauma and a lifetime of problems- physical, emotional and spiritual.
I just have such difficulty seeing the other side of this question.
Sundays have become CSA basket day. We get a basket of vegetables every Thursday from a local organic farm. Everything that doesn't get eaten before Sunday gets thrown into Sunday dinner. Tonight I am roasting potatoes with parsley, beets with balsamic, and eggplant that will get a balsamic drizzle after their cooled. I have okra, but haven't decided what to do with it yet. I may freeze it until soup season. Any suggestions for okra?
Anyway. It sounds like you've had a wonderful weekend.
Love and Light,
Maggie
I like the feeling of belonging…
but I sometimes am seduced by the idea of belonging.
If I do or say the right thing…
then I'll belong.
That frightens me.
Early on…
when my kids were struggling in school I read something that said something like…
once people realize they have a choice…
those that shoos to exercise an alternative choice are the most"dangerous" to the system…
once a person has the courage to buck the system once they don't stop questioning.
I took my kids out of public school for alternative educations…
Montessori, homeschool, cyber school, charter schools, parochial school…
we have tried (and are still trying) many things…
carefully considering the child's needs at that time…
It was piece-meal, but effective…
I'm still doing it with one in parochial school and one in cyber-school.
That break with "normal" allowed me to leave the church that no longer resonated with my understanding of spirituality. It allowed me to separate from a marriage that had long ago died. It allowed me to resurrect that same marriage, not out of obligation but from a place of surrender and wisdom. At times I still want to run away…but the lessons are here to help me to mature and grow.
So I stay…
by choice.
How do you feel about RE teachers being mandated reporters?
I get so frustrated by the view that it is intrusive and an unreasonable intrusion by the government.
My view is that people have had decades or centuries to report child abuse and most have felt uncomfortable and ignored it or felt it was not their problem…now there are rules saying that if there is suspicion you must report.
Doesn't your conscience tell you the same thing?
I've reported suspected child abuse multiple times since I finished medical school. It's damned uncomfortable to make that call…
but it might save a child trauma and a lifetime of problems- physical, emotional and spiritual.
I just have such difficulty seeing the other side of this question.
Sundays have become CSA basket day. We get a basket of vegetables every Thursday from a local organic farm. Everything that doesn't get eaten before Sunday gets thrown into Sunday dinner. Tonight I am roasting potatoes with parsley, beets with balsamic, and eggplant that will get a balsamic drizzle after their cooled. I have okra, but haven't decided what to do with it yet. I may freeze it until soup season. Any suggestions for okra?
Anyway. It sounds like you've had a wonderful weekend.
Love and Light,
Maggie
Saturday, September 5, 2015
How many planets?
Hey Maggie,
We all get to be the hermit sometimes. I think it is a great sign of maturity - being able to, or even enjoying, spending time alone. Alone means no distractions - just you and your thoughts.
You should be proud of your youngest. He has the makings of being a fine man.
Years ago, a friend and I were invited to quite a few places to do a workshop. We had worksheets we helped people work through, and in the end there was a number. That number told us - if everyone on the planet lived your lifestyle, how many planets worth of resources would we need. Most people scored around 6. A few went as high as 23.
I was living in the cabin, which did not have electricity. We had a hand pump and a woodstove, and I still got a score of 2. As long as we have cars, we are using more than our fair share of the world's resources. I scored a 1 once. It was the year I was living in the cabin with my three youngest kids, and I shared my car with my son.
We live in a country where all of the rails have been removed. There is no public transportation in my village. None. At all. We have been pushed into a lifestyle where we must consume.
And we don't think about it. It's simply the American way.
My best friend from college has been doing some research and found that even though, logically, we don't believe everything we see on TV, the primitive part of our brain is recording it all and believing it. All of those messages about standard of living, about the size of our space and the type of furnishings, we believe it all.
When I was doing the workshops, Americans were 5% of the world's population and we were using 25% of the world's resources.
When people were doing the sheets, and they saw the numbers, one of two things happened. Either they started arguing trivialitites - this isn't exactly like my life. We would remind them we were going for a rough idea. But they wouldn't let go of arguing about minor differences. Other people would simply turn the paper over and promise to finish at home.
We are uncomfortable with our participation in exploitation. But how do we escape?
Anyway, we began warning people. We began telling them they were going to be very uncomfortable with the numbers they got. But by the end of the workshop, we could give them at last one idea for reducing their score.
Walked several miles, pushing a stroller, and attended a small music festival today. I met old friends and talked to quite a few people. I am left with a sense of belonging. I like that.
Tired but happy...love and hugs from...
Clare
We all get to be the hermit sometimes. I think it is a great sign of maturity - being able to, or even enjoying, spending time alone. Alone means no distractions - just you and your thoughts.
You should be proud of your youngest. He has the makings of being a fine man.
Years ago, a friend and I were invited to quite a few places to do a workshop. We had worksheets we helped people work through, and in the end there was a number. That number told us - if everyone on the planet lived your lifestyle, how many planets worth of resources would we need. Most people scored around 6. A few went as high as 23.
I was living in the cabin, which did not have electricity. We had a hand pump and a woodstove, and I still got a score of 2. As long as we have cars, we are using more than our fair share of the world's resources. I scored a 1 once. It was the year I was living in the cabin with my three youngest kids, and I shared my car with my son.
We live in a country where all of the rails have been removed. There is no public transportation in my village. None. At all. We have been pushed into a lifestyle where we must consume.
And we don't think about it. It's simply the American way.
My best friend from college has been doing some research and found that even though, logically, we don't believe everything we see on TV, the primitive part of our brain is recording it all and believing it. All of those messages about standard of living, about the size of our space and the type of furnishings, we believe it all.
When I was doing the workshops, Americans were 5% of the world's population and we were using 25% of the world's resources.
When people were doing the sheets, and they saw the numbers, one of two things happened. Either they started arguing trivialitites - this isn't exactly like my life. We would remind them we were going for a rough idea. But they wouldn't let go of arguing about minor differences. Other people would simply turn the paper over and promise to finish at home.
We are uncomfortable with our participation in exploitation. But how do we escape?
Anyway, we began warning people. We began telling them they were going to be very uncomfortable with the numbers they got. But by the end of the workshop, we could give them at last one idea for reducing their score.
Walked several miles, pushing a stroller, and attended a small music festival today. I met old friends and talked to quite a few people. I am left with a sense of belonging. I like that.
Tired but happy...love and hugs from...
Clare
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