Thoughts on a cloudy morning...

this morning while walking orlando it occurred to me that my dream for a peaceful and benevolent world is hindered by our seemingly insatiable need for material things. as i walk along the road and over the culvert between my pond and the many little beaver ponds strung out along the waterway down to the lake, the connectedness of the natural world once again is seen as so very real.

and i wonder why we humans find it so difficult to connect with each other in truly meaningful ways. i think about the natural disasters that have befallen myanmar and china and the central united states and see the huge outpouring of aid to support these victims. it seems that we do feel the need to aid and support our fellow humans in these events, but why then do we--those of us in the developed world anyway--seem to go right back to our little private enclaves and not even truly know our neighbors. there is some sort of broken link here to my way of thinking, and this behavior shows both our need to connect and our fear of connecting.

and i can also begin to understand the reasons why the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider every day. isn't it really a connecting thing? if we were truly connected with each other, could we allow poverty? could we allow some of the earth's people to live without fresh water or proper sewage management? could we turn our heads from our neighbors? and on and on... now don't get me wrong, i am all in favor of having one's own space, a room of one's own as virginia woolf so appropriately put it. but that space isn't for hoarding away what treasures we can beg borrow buy or steal from the world, but rather to consider our own place in the grand scheme of things, to think and to dream and to recoup our energy to go out and try, at least, to connect with the world; and to reap the amazing benefits that come from such connecting.

it seems to me that a true connectedness among humans would bring a wonderful feeling of wellbeing to each and every one of us. it would also bring a harmony to this world of ours that is fraught with wars of all kinds.

can we do this folks? can we start to truly connect with each other in meaningful ways?

i hope so.

A Rare Treat. ..

yesterday as i was walking little o, i heard a strange sound in the woods. i thought maybe it was someone chopping down a tree... well, that was close, as it turned out it was a pileated woodpecker having a real go at it on a very dead basswood tree. we continued walking up the lane, and to my surprise, on the way back he was still there, putting a rather large hole in that tree. so i rushed home and got my camera and came back. sure enough, altho at first i couldn't see him because he was down in the hole he made, i was able to get this photo. it is a bit blurry because the trees were blowing in the wind, and his work was still in progress.

it always amazes me what i have learned living in the midst of nature. i haven't tried, it just sort of seeps in thru ones pores -- and i have learned that we must learn to live in tune and with respect for the world that surrounds us. it worries me that so many of us seem to think we can continue to use resources with no thought to the effect on our planet. altho, i did read recently that it really isn't the planet we are destroying, it is ourselves. the author of that paper contends that the planet will survive perhaps in a very different form, but that human life as we know it will not, because we are not wise enough to stop biting the hand that feeds us.

you know, it is hard to believe that the planet is in trouble... just walk with me thru the forest now that spring is here. the early wild flowers like bleeding heart -- kind of appropriate, if unintended! -- are in full bloom, the trees are filling out with their new leaves which come out in many subtle colors of greens and dusky reds, my violets are in purple profusion all around me, and my magenta tulips, all four of them that survived the squirrels, are beautiful. how can the planet be in trouble?

but look a little closer and see how many of the trees are dead or dying -- elm disease, acid rain and other pollutants are killing the trees from the inside out. do we know that without the trees we cannot survive? all living plants breathe in carbon dioxide, and without them to do that -- well, we all know about global warming and that we have overburdened our trees and plants which can no longer do their job well.

so, it behooves us to rethink our need for so much material wealth. i think we have lost something very important in our world today when we, even without intending to, put material goods as a higher priority than good people skills and relationships. there also seems to be a great decline in the joy of living. out here in the country i am blessed to feel the exuberance that comes with waking to a glorious sunrise and living the day watching the otter play in the pond, or the beaver building their dam, or the woodducks landing in my trees. there is no better feeling than to be alive on this earth and feel the glory of its beauty. i am sad that so many people rush about and don't stop to smell the flowers. i wish to every living being the joy that life brings.

spring has sprung . . .

once again i am going to try to maintain putting my thoughts here, as it is always a positive way to sort out ideas and opportunities that come my way.

i have posted a link to my polymer clay site so that i can use this blog for topics that catch my interest or about which i can give my thoughts and opinions.

one of my favorite sayings by daniel patrick moynihan is . . .

"everyone has a right to their own opinions, but not to their own facts."

so as i post i will certainly try to give my opinion on what i believe are known facts, and not try to push my opinions as if they were facts. occasionally i hope to also have some photos and tell some of my stories.

but for today this is enough to get me going. see you tomorrow!