Elections

Disengaging from this or that, right or wrong, smart or stupid,

Informed or ignorant, progressive or backward.

Losing interest.

I hear the stakes are high and yet remain unmoved,

Doubting.

Voting Democratic in today’s world is, for me, a no-brainer,

Yet the will to persuade another is lacking.

Passivity? Apathy? Laziness?

Perhaps.

I see people passionately persuading,

Passionately defending

Passionately accusing

I cringe, and envy their passion.

What is more troubling to me is

Why do I not have one black friend?

Why won’t I offer our rental property in Section 8?

Why do I check out the drivel on Facebook multiple times a day?

I find myself more concerned with

Extending or withholding, engaging or ignoring, expressing or containing,

Seeking or hiding.

That’s what I feel like saying.

World Events

Pondering why Anne Lamott can say what I'm thinking better than I can think it
As I sit here safely in the heart of 4 tranquil acres.
Willing myself to not succumb to despair or futility or cynicism.
We spiritual types eschew cynicism like the plague, even when a plague is plaguing Africa.
Drawn to and repelled by Facebook, Jon Stewart, Diane Rehm, The Huffington Post,
Resistant to daily practice or reading yet another spiritual picker upper
While exploring Robin Williams's eyes in all the photos of his precious life.

Here I sit in Paris, Tx half-heartedly registering folks to vote in the November elections
Thinking to myself this is not the playing field where real change can happen.

Remembering the refrain of the hippie-dippie Harmonic Convergence of yesteryear,
It's gonna get worse before it gets better.  

Overwhelmed by peering and staring at world events, out there,
I can only, reluctantly, turn within even while that voice whispers cop-out.

From within I type these words, eyes closed
Seeking that harmonious touchstone, landing one foot on home base,
Where baptism without water stands a chance of refreshing me
So that I can meet you eye to eye with gratitude and compassion.

Hobby Lobby etc

I am disturbed by the recent SCOTUS "Hobby Lobby" decision, but I will not be boycotting Hobby Lobby.  Though I think HL's beliefs on contraception and abortion are very misguided and erroneous, I respect their right to hold those beliefs.  I know that every one of us acts based upon our beliefs.  That HL took their beliefs to court, awaited a decision, and got what they wanted does not upset me.  They, and I and you, have every right to do that very thing.

What profoundly disturbs me is the direction the current Supreme Court is taking us as a nation. What profoundly disturbs me is the growing popular opinion of what "Christianity" means, of what "Christians" believe.  I am not angry at Hobby Lobby; I am disheartened that so many Americans celebrate the "Hobby Lobby" worldview.  I am chagrined that so many of our elected public servants pander to this worldview.

Boycotting Hobby Lobby hurts their employees even more than their refusal to pay for morning after pills and IUD's.  If you need to boycott, and I do, boycott today's Republican party...vote Democratic this fall.  VOTE!

I long to reinvent my life,

Not so much start over, God forbid, but

Transition from this to that.

She is weary and ready to let go,

Not so much from fatigue, but

From a sense of completion.

Truth is, she no longer sees the point.

It’s a good thing, really.

The challenge is that

She who is emerging is

Hovering in a cloud, a phantom.

I’ve seen her do this before, but

She seems to have forgotten how it goes.

The caterpillar is dissolving, and the

Butterfly is not as yet fully formed.

She is squirming.

The way it is...for today

There is a thin boundary
Where once there was a thick wall
Between She who knows and
She who questions.
I love them both.

She who questions is skeptical of
She who knows.
She who knows
Embraces she who questions.

Anew

Everyday something or someone changes, and yet
So many days feel just like yesterday.
The sun rises, the sun sets, and truthfully
Nothing is the same today as it was yesterday,
Especially me, especially you.

Did I miss something?
Do I take for granted the evolution of consciousness?
Is it true that some people are really, truly stuck?
Not likely.

If you arose this morning
You are different today than you were yesterday.
Can't help it, but
You can bury it, forget it, deny it, ignore it.

Life is always "anewing."
Even mine, even yours.

Within

Let me live from within
Rather than taking cues from without.
Now that I know Within is...
Without a Within
The only landmarks are without.
Once Within reveals itself,
Once we learn to pick up the signals,
Once we find the patience to listen
The cues from without no longer seem so very trustworthy,
While the nudges from Within ring so very true.

I can't disown you...

I breathe in, I breathe out
You breathe in, you breathe out
Until it stops, once and for all.
I breathe in thoughts; I breathe out thoughts,
I express; I am impacted by your expression.
The air I breathe out, you breathe in,
Giving and receiving, offering and taking.
We cannot walk into a cafe without taking with us
The essence of those who sat at tables near us.
You are not only not different from me
You are part of me.  
True, no matter your race, religion, politics or nationality.
You breathe me; I breathe you...
To pretend otherwise is ludicrous.

Life

Popped a strawberry into my mouth that was still on the plant 10 minutes ago.
Walked 2 miles with an aching foot
Kissed my husband this morning because yesterday I didn't like him so much
Applied Rogaine to the top of my head
Gazed at our new goldfish, swimming, swimming
Plucked the latest dead goldfish from the pond
Had dinner with folks who run really deep
Weighed myself this morning
Reminded myself of my (our) God connection
Got a fun text from my daughter
Watched my son look for hidden strawberries

All this since 5:00 yesterday afternoon.

Life is like that.

Hello

I've been away for a while...not so much physically, more mentally.  I've also been away physically, which is unusual.  I've had much to ponder and little to say.  Recovering from my latest and perhaps last foray into "church" has been tougher than I anticipated.  Maybe I'm beginning to snap out of it; maybe not.

Here are some random thoughts, as yet undeveloped.

I was raised on propriety.  We drank and ate propriety in my home.  I adapted pretty easily to proper dress, proper table manners, proper language, etc.  The real struggle has been and continues to be proper diplomacy.  I tend to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong people, making my mother (yes, even from the grave) cringe.  Not much improvement over the years.

I am so very weary of the Bible.  Not so much what it says but how it is used.  I just do not understand why every profound thought, every revelation, every inspiration some folks have must be authenticated with a Bible verse.  These thoughts, revelations and inspirations are gifts, freely given and authentic for the person who receives them.  They stand on their own, and when shared other folks can take them or leave them.

Life is simply amazing, confounding, and awesome.  I want more.  I'm not asking for added years, though that would be nice, but additional depth, breadth and wisdom.