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 |  Look around. Let Nature nurture your Soul. I record images I sense and share them here. |
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NURTURE your NATURE  Nature can nurture our writing, can nurture our soul. What is the language of Nature? And how do we learn it? We look at the natural wonders around us and do not see them, hear, taste nor smell them. They do not touch us anymore than we dare touch them. And then we wonder why we feel so dead. To breathe in and live like a child again opens the Land of Wonderment. It's still there after all these years.   |
"Why do some people find it so hard to trust God’s plan with their lives?" "Take up Your Cross"  (July 9th prompt)Some false assumptions: 1. God knows. God cares. 2. I know what God wants. 3. God wants what I want. God knows in a universal way. How that applies individually is beyond my reckoning. God cares in a universal way. God has never abandoned humanity and constantly gives us Guidance (which in our hubris we ignore). But the answer is NO! to 2 & 3. We do not KNOW except in a general way. And we are mentally/spiritually ill if we think we are the center of the universe. So what to do? Some seek answers deep within themselves. Some make sure they follow societal norms. Both approaches have limits. Humans are a social animal and society cannot be dismissed as a mere inconvenience. But humans are also not lemmings and the adventurous and questioning human has resulted in great societal advances. And the Depths of the Soul are greater than the Oceans. It's hard for many religious people to accept that the most loving individual in the room may be the Atheist and the ethical one an Agnostic. Even worse if that person is a member of a rival gang! Y'know Team Christian versus Team Heathen facing off in a Cosmic Olympics (fortunately contained to a small insignificant planet; popcorn supplied by the Alien non-competitors). Ah... so much easier when we accept that God loves us (belief not necessary) as in "all of us" as in "our souls" not limited to whether we won a beauty contest or a weight-lifting gold (Go Philippines!). Yes, the simple answer is easy. So I have a question for all'y'all: WHY DO YOU KEEP TRYING TO PISS HER OFF! Posted in "Blogville " ~295 words 1,098 |
| Sunday, the 18th of July: 76 degrees at 11:30 racing towards 100. AQI of 135 = staying in. I did sleep okay. The window fan blowing out has really cooled down the room. Now to clean the mess I made when I moved all the plants around! Without the fan, my room never got comfortable, never cooled down. Over 90 sounds miserable to folks who live in a humid place. It's particularly bad in parts of Appalachia that have barely a breeze. But here? It's dry and the land cracks and the skin cracks and... cracks. Living in a proper house at street level with a shady yard (we have enough rain for trees like ash, elm and locust) it's actually not too bad. Warm by noon. Hot in the late afternoon. Chilly in the morning. The temperatures can vary by as much as 40 degrees, almost like 3 seasons... daily. But the smoke. It's hazardous. About 4 years ago there was ash in the air and I went out without a mask... silly me... I'm sure I damaged my lungs. I escaped to Tromsø in the north of Norway. Pure air. Incredible. My lungs rejoiced. It took two weeks for them to clear out. This is the Land of Smoke. Every year. Some worse than others. When Nature doesn't start a fire, idiots do. And the biggest idiots are the controlled burns in Idaho. My answer is goats for underbrush. Others have suggested chipping, mulching and clearing of dead wood. But it's easier to burn... like in Brasil, except most Americans don't see it that way. When we don't have smoke we have dust. It covers all surfaces. I'm not a duster. The Plains are dusty. Should I move back (and yes, I want to move back) I'd have to deal with that, and torrential rains and flooding, tornadic winds and 'weather'. One never takes eyes off the sky. But I wouldn't want to live in most American cities. They are built for those who have a car attached to their butts. Traffic? Welcome to Kansas City... or any city. I'm better off in a real city like Torino, Italy (medium), Taipei, Taiwan (huge) or Lillihammer, Norway (small) where one can walk, take buses, use the Metro or train. Real cities. Livable cities. Even small villages in Taiwan have a train stop and in Norway it's easy to flag down the bus. It's possible to live in quite rural areas, visiting the nearby town or big city only when needed. In Holland one just takes a bicycle, walks to the train or peers out the window watching the neighbors or being amused by the panorama of humanity passing by. Billie Jo and I do that here. Almost every day sitting in front of the 3rd floor window gazing at downtown, the depot, the river, the bridge and the people crossing the bridge or kayaking, surfing, tubing down the river, cycling down the paths. Writing this it sounds idyllic! But I'm stuck inside with mute plants looking out at a white sky. ~510 words Posted in "Blogville " 1095 |
| Fueled by Angst or Anger I need to vent, to rant, to rage... but when it's over? I feel empty and weak like I do after vomiting or diarrhea. Not a pretty image, but getting the poison out is important. How to do that without making a mess that others have to clean up is the key. Most people don't like it if you spit all over them. But one can learn from expressing oneself. And others can learn as well. Today I'm feeling a bit empty. Got one thing... just one thing... accomplished, but it was blocking me. Next! And my anxiety isn't just generalized. I get that too. But this was more focused... and still is. Anger? Constant bombardment eroding my human rights in America and around the world unnerves me. Most folks seem to be oblivious unless it affects them. But so much affects me as a marginalized person... and many of my friends are maginalized as well. A double whammy. ... calmed by lavender. I stick my nose into flowers. Today it was daylilies and lavender. Soon it will be time for me to glean some as I walk. I only take a bit... leaving plenty for others (until the first frost looms, then it's all mine). I also treated myself to a french-vanilla-lavender milkshake. It cost $4.50. My bank balance screams that I can afford this. Will it calm me enough to buy a new computer? A new phone? Two trips abroad? 5 years ago I figured out how much I needed in case of emergency. I have many times that now to fall back on. I need to spend money. Not to make money... but to live instead of merely surviving. As I listen to operatic music on Radio Bari (Italia) I should be thankful for the calming Rage. |
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