Ah, perspective!

This morning I woke to droplets on my windowpane.  Now, it's the weekend, and normally, we want sunshine for our outside playtime.  However, with the recent drought, those raindrops please us more than four Sundays of sunshine and soft breezes.  Funny how life and nature illustrate the power of perspective.  Now and then, we must all sit back and savor the positives in our lives from all different angles.  Sometimes we lose sight of the common things, the basics so vital, so precious in our lives.  Everything from food and shelter to friends and family weave into the fabric of each day, strong and steady, unfaltering.  We appreciate them, of course, but one thread pulled or broken or missing stops us in our tracks and makes us value our whole tapestry, the big picture AND each pixel that creates it, that keeps it whole.  (How's that for mixing ancient and modern metaphors?)  Ah yes, can you tell the rain has touched my soul, has given me the gift, not only of refreshment and new birth, but of humility and gratitude for each tiny and grand aspect of my life?  Could I survive loss?  Of course, but at this moment, I revel in all I'm privileged to hold dear, all I'm blessed to hold in my arms, to hold in my heart.  You, you all...how precious you are to me!  Amen.  Amen.

Full swing spring

I sauntered into the yard yesterday and stopped in my tracks, amazed by what I saw.  Here in Oklahoma we've been wishing for rain and worrying about wildfires, and yet, all of nature has found a way to break into bloom and blossom.  Incredible!  This always reminds me of how resilient nature is and that human beings are a part of it all.  This little stretch in April brings back memories of some dark days from Waco to OKC to Columbine to the Gulf Coast, and even Tienanmen Square in China.  Each event represents a challenge we've faced and faced down to survive and thrive once again.  Now, I'm all for the media and all its coverage and opinions and slants and spins and flapping of the jaws, although I sometimes question the lopsided negativity concerning, well, just about everything.  No matter how positive the news might be, many seem to follow up with "BUT just around the corner things could get worse."  Oh how lovely the prospect of taking a few moments to revel in the good news.  Heavens, that might lead people to be optimistic, to plan vacations, to relax and enjoy, to believe the future still holds promise and possibility.  Oh my, that might also impact the economy, encourage large companies to start hiring again and people in general to invest and spend and generate demand and then more jobs and...oh my goodness...sounds like a snowball effect of GOOD.  Yes, yes, I know it's more complicated than that, but all rolling snowballs and full blooms start small.  How did snow sneak into this blog about spring?  Ah yes, the analogy.  I'll just end with one of my favorite quotes:  "O Wind, if Winter come, can Spring be far behind?"  Shelley knew that the seasons validate optimism every year.  Humanity has been learning from nature since time began.  Why not take a hint and follow the path of the snowball or the spring bud?  Roll and grow large or burst into a blossom of positives, savor it for even a short time and see what happens.  I already know!

Sunshine, a drug of choice

Seriously, few things intoxicate my soul like a sunny day.  The rays literally get under my skin and ooze back out as smiles and boundless energy.  This weekend, I spent most of each day out in the fresh, spring air.  From pruning to planting flowers and veggies to riding bikes and motorcycles to just sitting on the back porch and occasionally sharing a comment with my neighbor (shades of "Home Improvement"), I could feel my muscles and nerves and blood having a barn dance to celebrate, doing a jig to that music only nature can play.  Extreme, you say?  Not to me.  It's been happening for years, and I think happens to everyone.  Sadly, not everyone has learned to recognize, tap in, and let 'er rip!!  Spring fever does not HAVE to make us skip school and work.  It can makes up skip TO school and work.  Try it out.  Get outside, soak in the FREE energy, let it build up inside you, and then watch how it can make every aspect of your life richer and even easier in the most important ways.  Gotta open up and embrace it, though.  Only YOU can let it in and make it happen.  Get yourself under the influence.  Just say "YES!"  You've been challenged, my friend.  As the song says, "I hope you DANCE!"  (From the inside out...)

Just a little dust up, thank you

With more than just a little frustration, I've been watching this latest haggling over the budget.  Now except on my "other" blog (Since When and Who Said), I don't really comment on politics or other touchy subjects, so I'm just using the moment, the situation to make interesting point about how wonderful our country is.  Yes, that's what I said.  We've had all sorts of controversy, people piling into the streets with signs and bullhorns, talking heads from all angles and opinions shouting and arguing and yes, getting a little carried away now and then.  I get a bit twisted myself at some commentary, at how people take a seed of truth and run in all sorts of directions with it until it's unrecognizable.  Nonetheless, what makes me rejoice even in the face of aggravation is how utterly free we are, not only to express ourselves, but also to go places and do things and enjoy each other and make plans and dream and work and all the while to know it's all possible.  Sure, we have obstacles, problems, setbacks, even tragedies, but we're also free to recover to regroup to heal and comfort each other and to have hope again.  Sometimes I think we forget that not everyone in the world has that.  Freedom and democracy give us that precious commodity known as possibility.  We have our flaws, no doubt, and because we have this marvelous openness, we must tolerate disagreement and bickering and even some ugliness, and sometimes we get stuck and lost and confused, but if we look at history, we always find our way back on track.  On top of it all, we constantly air our dirty laundry in front of the whole world.  Do we enjoy that?  No, but it's part of what makes us who we are.  Lord knows, we could hide some of this nonsense, but how we're out there and everyone's seeing "how we make the sausage," so to speak...that just makes me smile.  Here we are, World, working our way down the road, stirring up dust and scuffling with great enthusiasm.  Keep watching, though.  America will emerge from that swirling cloud, stronger and brighter and ready for the next battle.  Oh, the fight's not over by a long shot.  As long as this is still America, we'll have a wide variety of opinions, voice them loudly, and continue hammer out some sort of agreement.  I hope that never stops.  Through adversity and challenge we grow and improve and sometimes even learn a lesson.  So tonight, I'm celebrating.  I'm so grateful to have been born here, to live here, to enjoy the benefits of this country.  Some struggles along the way?  Worth it.  Worth it.  Worth it!!