I cannot believe it has taken me so long to share this particular little idea of mine. I have thought for a while, and recently reconsidered the possibility, that if Bob Marley’s “One Love” could be played throughout the world every so often, there would be a very positive rippling effect on society.
Of course, the song would only be played sometimes, so that we could still hear the beauty of nature, but played often enough to remind us to relax, to enjoy, and to love all the world’s people. If enough people could soften, just a little, we could find ourselves loving a bit more, and creating a world with more positive, less negative.
Bob Marley’s extensive work is so much more than some music that makes you feel good. Listen for a little while, and let the words do their magic.
For anyone reading this interested in more about Bob- read Catch a Fire by Timothy White. Woah. Fascinating man and life.
As I pulled foot after foot of milkweed from my bushes, it dawned on my that milkweed is rather like negative thoughts. The abundance of the weed manages to squeeze out the opportunity for green growth, just as negative thoughts squeeze out the natural creative processes in our lives.
The “Why should I try that? It won’t be good” or the “That was a stupid idea, I’m not going to do that” or whatever it is, leaves little space for freedom of creativity and the courage to speak the truth.
Without constant tending, the milkweed overtakes the life it is feeding off of, and ruins it.
Case in point- picture above- the brown dead sticks is the gorgeous plant that used to thrive there. The green killer- the milkweed.
How does one explain thunder to two scared puppies? I’m still not sure. It didn’t go so well. One peed and one hid under the bed.
Just a couple rounds of thunder, however, allowed me to delight in the moment and remember how much I love a good storm. I love those times when you know, for sure, that nothing can be more important than this particular moment. Good thunder storms remind me of my childhood lake, send me directly back to a place where we rushed home to get inside before lightning hit, into the safety of a kitchen filled with the smells of warm brownies.
How synchronistic. Just when I needed it, the thunder and lightning hit, pushing me into the place I need to be. No moment could ever be more important than this particular moment.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have two puppies to console.
This comes straight off the label on my 100% biodegradable dog poo bags, entitled- The Ten Second Plastic Bag Lesson.
“Regular polyethylene-based bags can take well over 100 years to degrade and are not compostable. Less than 2% of all plastic bags ever get recycled. Studies indicate that 100,000 marine animals and 2 million birds die each year from ingesting or being caught up in plastic debris. Some manufacturers are blending additives to polyethylene to produce “degradable” bags. Unfortunately, this process fragments the bags into pieces of plastic debris that do not meet the ASTM D6400 standard for biodegradable. and compostable plastic. These pieces cause serious harm when mistaken by animals and birds for food…Please be sure the biodegradable products you buy are properly certified. Nature knows the difference.”
So. When you say to yourself, “Oh it’s just a plastic bag, what’s the big deal?” Ummm. THAT’S the big deal. I don’t think you want dead animals on your conscious.
Plus, there are a myriad of other reasons…but I think this is enough for one day.
I had just gotten home from class when I heard a small voice outside my house. I continued what I was doing when the tiny voice turned into a tiny knock at the door.
I opened the door, with the pups in “Yes! A visitor!” mode, to find a tiny boy standing at my door, holding the hand of his nanny. Tommy lives up the street from us, and has big bright blue eyes, innocent enough to melt the hardest of hearts.
“See dogs?” Tommy asked. His nanny looked a bit sheepish and said, “I’m so sorry to bother you- Tommy has been talking about your dogs the whole morning, and it just stopped raining, and he really wanted to come here to see if they were playing and if he could see them.”
I laughed and told them to meet me around back, where the yard is safely fenced in.
Little Tommy came through the fence and proceeded to pat and laugh and clap at the pups, clearly in pure delight that his wish had been granted.
His nanny went on, “He asked me if we could walk here, and knew exactly where the dogs lived. He tried to see them through the fence, and wouldn’t take they aren’t home for an answer. He asked if we could knock on the door and ask, I felt really bad about it, but he’s been talking about these dogs all day.”
It was a great moment- and I invited Tommy back to play with the doggies any time he wanted. I hope I don’t find I have a permanent two year old at the house!
The main challenge with having two pups in the house is the competition. For love. They diabolically scheme for ways to get the other one out of the limelight.
Mornings have steadily started earlier with Jersey perching herself in position for morning cuddles long before Bailey can stake her claim. Jersey waits, watching like a hawk, for me to make my first ‘rise and shine’ movement. At the first sign of life, she pounces to her spot- tucked into my shoulder in such a way that she can continue licking my face and letting me know how glad she is to see me. Jersey remains content and blissful until her little sister squeezes her pig like body into her position. Bailey insists on nestling herself into my hip, or partly over my legs, still close enough to jump forward for face licks if the situation calls for it. On a good day, I find a way to give them both tummy rubs, and get them out of bed quiet enough to not wake Joey. (I am the early riser:) Many times, however, they begin attempting to eek the other one out of face licking position, and create such a ruckus that we must exit into the backyard immediately.
From that point on, they walk a thin line between the best of friends and a diligent performance to show “I love Mommy the most. I can give the most licks.”
This sounds trivial. It gets dangerous. I have the scratches to prove it.
One reason I appreciate The Nature Conservancy is it’s ability to look beyond conservation as a specific land allotment, but reaches beyond that, as it works toward measures of sustainability and community.
This link will take you to an article that proves with negotiation and compassion can go a long way to better the lives for all of us.
Of course, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in my life- I am inspired by your unconditional love.
And, for all the mothers out there- not just the classic biological ‘mother,’ but for all who are stewards of the Earth and of each other- the world thanks you.
Most of all, Happy Mother’s Day to the biggest Mama of them all…Mother Earth. I will spend today in the presence of her life giving trees and her strong mountains, basking in her warm sun, as I wander and hike the day away. Ahhh, when we think of all Mother Earth gives us every single day, it is truly astounding. Your breath, your food, your nutrients, your ability to see beauty and to be astounded. How could we not honor our big Mama Earth and all her creatures?
I, for one, am excited to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Plus, I am sure my pups are going to lavish me with loving licks all day. Now what could be better than that?
Last night, Joey and I went on one of our sporadic ‘date nights.’ We take turns surprising each other with something new and interesting- last night was my turn. Not knowing much about the place or the performer, I bought us tickets to a show at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. We found ourselves in a wonderful little spot, enjoying dinner and being entertained by an extremely passionate saxophonist. Jackiem Joyner and his five band members gave me just what I needed last night.
Watching someone who so obviously LOVES what he is doing is inspiring. I felt recharged after the show, having been reminded, yet again, that life is about delighting in each moment. Life is about the music- not about the daily humdrum that consumes us. The monotonous broken record that plays in the mind keeps us from losing ourselves to the music in our hearts. We’re all meant to dance, to sing, to make our own music and rhythm. When we lose that, we lose some capacity for joy.
“Without music, the heart and the soul cannot find joy.” -anon.
This is a Sanskrit mantra which roughly translates into “May all beings everywhere be happy and free from suffering.” This prayer is a personal favorite of mine, as “all beings everywhere” encompasses just that- ALL beings everywhere. From the little birds to the tallest sequoia trees to the loving puppies to the struggling human, this prayer asks that every single being find freedom and happiness in that freedom.
Imagine the positive work that could be done if we all considered every being when we act. Unbelievable!
As I pulled foot after foot of milkweed from my bushes, it dawned on my that milkweed is rather like negative thoughts. The abundance of the weed manages to squeeze out the opportunity for green growth, just as negative thoughts squeeze out the natural creative processes in our lives. 
