Monthly Archives: November 2020

Adding New Skills

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Education, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Striving, Technical stuff

November 10, 2020-

As I returned from work, this afternoon, my friend, the Mourning Dove, landed briefly on the gravel of our driveway. Usually, her greeting me is an indicator of good news. So it was this time, as I received written confirmation of a change in my monthly deposit from the Feds.

Workwise, I was asked to preside over a pair of online classes, this afternoon, having completed two in-person sessions in the morning. Being math and science, I had to pay close attention, ahead of time, to the material. It was not difficult, but these are “whiz kids” and it turned out they already had mastered the material.

What I had not mastered was the setting up of Breakout Groups, so everyone ended up in the same group, with little to discuss. This will be a matter for Zoom Tutorial, over the next couple of days, as I am quite sure today will not be the last time that I need to oversee such a class format, between now and Christmas.

In the end, my young friends were glad that someone was there to run them through the session, even if it was review material. There are a number of avenues of learning that can branch off from the lessons, yet I leave that to their very competent regular instructor, who returns next week.

I dreamt last night that a former hard taskmaster managed to teach me how to secure caps on bottles of cola, using plastic ties. I can pretty much guarantee this will not happen in real life. What I got out of it, though, was that I can, and will, acquire new skills, over the next several months and years. I won’t be working for wages, all that much, after next month, yet life itself needs us to stay sharp and focused. As I write this, the image of one of my uncles, whose cognitive skills were sharp during his working years, but faded in retirement, is cautioning just such a regimen of regular mental exercise.

Life is certainly a sweet cornucopia.

With These Blessings,….

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Inspiration, Striving, Travel

November 9, 2020-

I sat here at my combination laptop table/gratitude altar, during the second of three Zoom meetings, this evening, and marveled at how my week’s schedule has evolved. Four work assignments have presented themselves- today being a short three-hour session with intermediate schoolers, whose classmates in the hybrid set-up will be my charges, tomorrow.

Thursday will be an early start day, with small groups of reading enrichment students, at the primary level. Friday, I will be with a class of first graders. Earlier this season, my plan for the end of this week was to head up to Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. Then came a second wave of COVID-19 which, while not dissuading me from the journey, did create a teacher shortage. Thus, my personal time is a weekend affair. Whether I head up that way, for a shorter time, will be determined later in the week.

There are many blessings that come in the guise of trouble. For me, being with children of any age is high on that list. COVID is the trouble and they are the blessings. Being able to visit friends in Sedona on Friday evening, then go no further than Homolovi State Park on Saturday, and being back for my weekly devotional on Sunday, would be a perfect weekend alternative.

Wednesday is Veteran’s Day, Armistice Day and the auspicious 11/11. The blessings of a midweek holiday come not only in the respect shown us as military veterans or in the free or discounted meals, but in the awareness that something I did, as part of a larger effort, made a big difference.

I am feeling blessed to live among people who can see the forest for the trees, and don’t altogether get rattled. If there is illness, momentary discomfort or a bit of inconvenience, there is a roadmap to getting past those things, and more of us are aware of this, than not.

The last few weeks of being a sixty-something are shaping up to be ever more filled with bounties.

Treading Water

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Posted by on in Community, distraction issues, impediments, Personal Values, Poetry, Social

November 8, 2020-

Many people are holding back on any plans,

even of short-range span,

because they fear the pandemic will expand.

Yet, is that really the plan?

Many people are treading water,

not engaged in doing what they ought,

for fear of the renewed onslaught,

and not wanting to look like robots.

Still others throw caution to the wind,

offering a conspiratorial spin,

imagining the virus to have been sent by djinn,

and enhanced by the descendants of the Ch’in.

I see my road as set by my guides,

altered only temporarily by the viral tide;

I refuse to run and hide,

and so trusting in science, I abide.

What Now?

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Striving

November 7, 2020-

The increased likelihood of a Democratic President, come January 20, happened on the day which, for Buddhists, commemorates Siddhartha Gautama’s return to Earth, after three months of teaching in the celestial realm. This, to the Buddhist faithful, is a day of great change and seeping portent.

To the rest of us, it has also been a day of great change and portent, whether one approves of the changes that will be taking place, or not. As with four years ago, I say “Give the next president a chance, and be ready to hold him to account, if large segments of the populace are ignored or left in limbo.”

Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Capitalize on the reported friendship you have with Mitch McConnell. Maintain the law enforcement activity that is so close to former Judge McConnell’s heart: Fighting the trafficking of women and children. He was one of the forces behind the foundation of the very effective organization, Shared Hope International, one of the better programs advanced by conservative Republicans over the past several decades.
  2. Also, neither one of you wants to be seen as a deficit dove, so, given your self-comparison to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, dive into the summoning all Americans to help rebuild our infrastructure- get more done, with less Federal expenditure. Help counteract the sentiment that we ought stop asking what we can do for our country. Encourage market-led innovation and climate-enhancing changes. Continue to build on your predecessor’s one HUGE contribution: Looking after our military and veterans.
  3. Get out of Dodge- Washington or Wilmington more, at least for the first year or two. I recommend, starting in February-pick a city in each of the four regions: Northeast, South, Midwest and West, and hold a Town Hall in each one. Do this, monthly, until you have held such a gathering in each of the 50 states.
  4. Like your predecessors, be the Comforter-in-Chief. Aside from the Town Halls, be present for those communities which suffer natural or human-caused disasters.
  5. Be inclusive- Let’s return to the days when the President acknowledged not only Christian Holy Days, but those of other Faiths, as well. This was something at which Barack Obama excelled, but in which Donald Trump was less than interested. Be a cheerleader for the major sporting events, and yes, that includes NASCAR.
  6. Show that you trust Science- especially in facing down COVID-19. Be bold enough to also face down those who don’t see the COVID threat as real. The sooner more of us follow disease-fighting protocols willingly, the sooner the disease will no longer hold us in its vise-like grip.
  7. Finally, let the world know you see all of its parts as worthy of respect. Return us to partnerships which both help American prosperity and advance global co-operation. Attend crucial international gatherings, and encourage a two-way travel street- visiting some other countries each year and hosting their leaders here. There is plenty of anticipation, as there always is, when leadership looks set to change. Use the wealth of talent at your disposal, to build a dynamic, forward-looking, yet grounded, team. Godspeed, Mr.President-elect.

Three Comforts

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Posted by on in Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 6, 2020-

My faith in the Divine has brought me three consistent comforts, over the decades. As I sat in the second night of a four-night evening retreat, focusing on Divine Light, I saw an emanation of the first of these: The golden light in a neighbour’s window.

The glow of amber light, often lighting my way in a dark night, has reassured me-whether the street lights of my childhood-saying it was time to go home or the light in a window of a house in a forest, saying that in a time of need, there would be another human soul who might be of aid.

I have spent the past three days working with students in need of self-sufficiency enhancement. The second comfort to me has ever been the voice of a child asking: “May I do this myself?” My answer is always the same: “Go for the gold!” Whether it was a young girl tying her own shoes for the first time, or a little boy writing his own letters and numbers on a page, being present when independence results in genuine strength is a true honour.

The third comfort is the joy of being with others in a gathering, in whatever form the needs of the time provide. In many cases, electronic gatherings are the only way, either because of public health issues or because of the need to communicate with those who live far afield. I have carefully participated in physical gatherings, and as long as precautions are taken by one and all, I will continue to do so, in a limited manner, until the global health emergency is brought under control-in a real sense.

There are many comforts in my life. These are three of the most enduring.

Herbal Masks and Regaining Steam

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Poetry, Social, Striving

November 5, 2020-

I wore a different sort of mask, this evening.

An herbal mask sat on my face,

for twenty minutes,

with the idea that it could be regenerative.

I forewent my usual after work nap,

with the idea that I will sleep

more deeply through the night.

The fatigue left me a bit short of words

during the introduction segment

of the four-day series

of spiritual trainings

which began this evening.

Yet, as Thomas Sowell once wrote,

everything is a trade-off.

I made it through the intro,

and absorbed healing energy,

which has given me

the second wind needed to

write this.

Sorrow Not…..

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Posted by on in Community, distraction issues, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

November 4, 2020-

“O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.” (Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 327)

I thought of, and recited this prayer, during the time that I was Penny’s caretaker. I have often called it forth, during the past year or so, as well. Knowing that so many will be down-hearted and feeling left out, regardless of the final outcome of the vote count, I offer this prayer to anyone who needs it.

There has never been a time when I viewed my fellow humans as “deplorables”, despite that unfortunate comment of four years ago. I think there are many behaviours that are certainly deplorable, especially the murder of innocent beings, abuse of others-especially of women, children and elders, lying and fabrication, calumny against those with whom one disagrees, and theft. That said, we are all children of God and as such are free to return to the enfoldment of His grace-any time we are willing to renounce our past misdeeds and make amends to those whom we’ve wronged.

My advice, to whoever ends up in the White House, on January 20, 2021, is to redouble efforts to include ALL Americans in the life of the nation. I wrote to President Obama, a few times, urging him to visit the South and other parts of the country which had spurned him. He did make it to several states whose electorate had supported his opponents- though he might have done so more often. It didn’t come across as pandering, and should not, this time around. A listening tour would do either #45-2.0, or #46, and the country, a world of good. A Cabinet that is genuinely inclusive of critics, as well as of supporters, whould go along way towards reuniting this frazzled country.

Heart of the Matter

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Posted by on in distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 3, 2020-

By one metric, my heart health is fairly good. By another, it needs a fair amount of attention. I am already moving away from a meat-happy diet, towards one that is more plant-based. That comes with the territory, and as I have left processed, fast foods behind, this is the logical next step. Very rare, anymore, are donuts and cake. Coffee is, generally, one cup in the morning.

Lavender and marjoram are looking to be a morning and evening application. More exercise is also in the mix-four days a week at PF. Fewer Zoom calls and more time outside- COVID or no COVID. I would wager that many people are losing ground in heart health, because of the pull of sedentary. Zoom is good for communicating with people far afield, but there was this wake-up call today, and I need to get on the stick.

Like Robert Frost, I have promises to keep and miles to go, before I sleep.

The Run-Up Ends

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Posted by on in Community, distraction issues, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Striving

November 2, 2020-

It is time to breathe. It is also time to remember that, no matter who is elected president, our system will survive. It has seen worse men occupy the office and has seen worse reactions to disparate candidates. The 50/50 chance of a woman, even one with whom I disagree on many issues, being elected vice president, is a refreshing aspect of this contest.

I see Donald Trump as a populist, an opportunist and something of a narcissist, but not a fascist. I see Joe Biden as a career politician, also an opportunist, but not a communist. There are elements of both progressivism and conservatism that can do this country good. I guess this is why the electorate has seen fit to balance the two, by and large. We need traditions, to keep us grounded, and we need inclusivity, to strengthen our population and our institutions.

I have been excused from jury duty, by way of the trial being canceled. So, my full attention is now on the community and in helping out in any way necessary, in the unlikely event of unrest here. We have had our differences, and some have made it their business to exercise a minor show of force, at some public events. Still, people are mostly content to show their signs, across the street from one another and sometimes engage in spirited civil discourse.

If you haven’t voted-please do. In all cases, stay safe and maintain respect for all, no matter what stance anyone takes. We are all lovers of country, if not of planet.

As The Saints, and Others, March

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social

November 1, 2020-

I read, this morning, about a sheriff in North Carolina who had his force fire pepper spray at a group of people who were marching towards a voting center. Our sheriff’s department here would do no such thing, nor would the city police. I do know that I would be mightily incensed by any attack on small children or elders, such as reportedly took place in that community. I would seek the removal of the offending officers, all the way to the top.

Last night, I drove downtown, wearing a 70s-style wig, and parked in a two-hour space. It was amazing, how many people were out and about, as if nothing was amiss. I opted to not set up my table, outside the apartment, this year, out of concern for public health. It seems many of my fellow citizens had no such qualms, though most of the costumed children and teens were wearing COVID-protocol masks. Still and all, I will do what I can to minimize the risk of infection. It was comforting enough, to go to a couple of favoured outdoor spots and listen to live music. My candy intake was limited to a frozen Mr. Goodbar Mini, which I found under a cold pack in the freezer.

Today is All Saints Day, which I recall from my days as a Roman Catholic as a time to honour all who have gone on, after living lives of service to others-or have at least earned the favour of highly-placed church officials. I still believe it’s a good thing to show appreciation for the good and decent people who came before us. They don’t have to be perfect, even if they are bestowed with the title “Saint”.

Tomorrow, at the end of Dia de los Muertos, I will find out whether I need to prepare to spend four days in jury duty. In the meantime, tomorrow will be a day for getting my car serviced, my body chiropractically-adjusted and laundry done. It may also be a good day for a haircut. I will refrain from eating any sugar skulls, though.

Birth Month is off to a fine start.