what a wonderfully kind gesture
for someone to leave a gallon of milk and bread behind
to be discovered by someone else who may need it more.
—
“let us temper our criticism with kindness. none of us comes fully equipped.”
-carl sagan
in talking with my grandson
about the reason shopping carts are found all over
i told him to think about where he sees them and why that might be
i told him to consider the fact that they are often found
where there are people without transportation or without disposable income
who may have to walk a long distance, have a disability, or take public transportation to get home
most with challenging life circumstances
i told him about
when i moved to family housing here for grad school
with no money, but still one of my favorite times of my life
everyone in debt, in grad school, with families, with limited income
most did not have cars and could not afford taxis
i saw that shopping carts were all around us
quickly noticed why.
families used them for everything
to move in and out, to move their children, to move their laundry to the common area
to move things to our monthly swap meets, to carry food, to carry things to their car, and on and on…
my youngest daughter lived with me
for a few months before heading off to her university
before long, we were using them
they had come from the local grocery store
when people would walk home with food for their families
the carts would stay to be used in the community
the grocery store would send a truck once a week
to round them up and take them back to the store
and the next week they would be back
it seemed to be an unwritten understanding
i came to love the custom and used them many times for every imaginable purpose
understanding why they were so helpful and important to the community.
everyone was just trying to find a way to live their life
to get things done that needed doing
while making the best of their circumstances.
“do what you can with what you have, where you are.”
-theodore ‘teddy’ roosevelt – 26th president of the united states
on a tired evening after a long day at school
i arrived for my hair appointment
already ready to be home
a stylist new to me
was running late
quite a patient person by nature
i felt myself becoming impatient
really wanting to be done and home
and on and on about me
finally she was ready
we took the elevator and headed upstairs
thinking about waking up at 4:30 the next am.
i sat down in her chair
sensing she had been through something
while she worked we began to talk about our lives
she shared things with me:
she can only work 3 days at a time and then needs 2 days off
due to a chronic illness that has affected her leg
(ah, the elevator)
she is one of eight children raised by a single mother
she was a very young mother years ago
she loves her daughter, granddaughter, and mother dearly
she is sharing rides with a co-worker as her car is not working
she doesn’t always have dinner or time for it
this was her last week at the salon
she needed some down time to recover
she would love to have her own little salon one day
she spoke of other joys and challenges in her life
determined not to give up and make the best of things
such a strong soul
i felt ashamed for my impatience
happy i had waited and not expressed it
i had nothing to complain about
she was an incredible person
still kind and happy
still in the midst of overcoming hard things
i tried to offer encouraging words
wished her well
gave her a restaurant card i had in my wallet
as we parted ways
i was reminded to always consider the other person
wait before reacting or rushing to judgement
we really have no idea what someone’s life is like
i thanked her
so very grateful for the lesson.
—
“let the first impulse pass, wait for the second.”
-baltasar gracian
when hanging outside with a couple of my grandies,
we talked as they worked on creating pictures
taken from online designs
very, very carefully selecting each tiny bead to put into place
i thought it would be a good time to tell them about my cat, olive
who loves to pounce on the jigsaw puzzles on my table
when she finds me in the midst of them
i also thought i would do a mini dramatic recreation of how it all happens
as i pretended to be olive, bouncing my hand on the table
i apparently was a little too into my role
when i hit the table
we all froze for a few seconds
after noticing that all of their hard work
had just been destroyed in the course of my acting.
great recovery though
as i apologized
we all laughed and laughed and laughed at what happened
knowing
that while it would take a long time to rebuild their designs
we also also knew
that life can be so instantly funny sometimes.
—
“the more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.”
– bill nye
‘Friends Who Share Balloons’
—
“peace is not merely the absence of warfare,
any more than true health is simply the absence of a disease.
nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibrium –
impossible to achieve in an evolving system.
though refraining from harm is an essential first step,
lasting peace is created by actively redressing harm done.
peace is a creative process of joining i and thou into a co-creative we.
it requires authentic communication, empathic listening, and wildly creative solutions.”
-anodea judith
—
image credit: willowdayflowerproject by gina – Leaves, Twigs, Iris, Geraniums, Lilacs, Delphiniums, Hydrangeas, Marigolds all got together and became “Friends who share balloons.”
forsythia bright in my quarantine kitchen
blossoms have begun to fall
everything is temporary.
—
“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” – pema chodron