Thanksgiving brings out cliches that capture some of the significance of the holiday. We easily conjure memories of our family and friends. We think of what we have as possessions, our houses, and other material goods. Health is a common gift that we acknowledge. All of these gifts become even more significant when we think of others who do not share such gifts.
Given that my life is similar to many others and better than many others, I want to focus on a specific aspect that will color my holiday.
To be loved and to love is a gift that I am particularly mindful of this Thanksgiving. I have family and friends who love me. At times, I realize how alone and unloved are so many, including the homeless, some with mental illness that serves to distance them from love, and those who seem alienated from others. To be loved is special. Joan has loved me constantly in spite of my "idiosyncrasies". My children share their love and my grandchildren make me feel special, even I realize that it is reflection of their love for their grandmother. And surely, the animals in my life gave me great affection without any reservation. Patrick, my latest friend, could not make me feel more loved than he does (even if he loves Joan even more!).
I am aware that I am a positive and loving person. Somehow the negative and hostile environment of childhood seemed to strengthen my positive bias towards others, regardless of their circumstances. I never could understand anyone's hatred of others. It seemed self-defeating: the hater becomes as bad as the one hated. I could not understand why others should not be able to share what I considered something as good. Life is always too short for hatred. We were all brothers and sisters sharing a journey and it made sense that sharing the goods of this world would make all happier.
While I have been a positive person, I admit to feeling a form of love that is more striking for those who are close to me: my family and friends. I am one who does not hesitate sharing my feelings and treasure that my affection is accepted.
This Thanksgiving is a day when I will particularly focus on the gift of love.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Looking Forward to a Great Experience
I am by no means a music connoisseur. I love listening to classical music without any awareness of the name of the composition or its musical elements. I am literally ignorant and yet, I love listening to it. I listen to music all day regardless of what I am doing (except when doing some types of exercise). I have loved it for so long.
In my youth, my mother made me take piano lessons. All I remember was the "ordeal". We never listened to music in our home. We never talked about music. Piano lessons were essentially a foreign territory compared with playing sports.
When I was 13, my mother died suddenly and not long after, I quit piano.
In my adult years, I took piano lessons for several years. I was clear that I really did not have talent. I never really was able to understand music with my right brain. I had to translate notes through my left brain and execute the translation into my fingers. I was not very good. Eventually, I have up a hopeless adventure.
I remain awed by those with such talents. Listening to Yo Yo Ma, Isaac Pearlman, and so many others virtually brings me to my knees to think that such talent is present.
On Sunday, I am excited to look forward to listening to Joshua Bell at Symphony Hall. It will be awesome.
In my youth, my mother made me take piano lessons. All I remember was the "ordeal". We never listened to music in our home. We never talked about music. Piano lessons were essentially a foreign territory compared with playing sports.
When I was 13, my mother died suddenly and not long after, I quit piano.
In my adult years, I took piano lessons for several years. I was clear that I really did not have talent. I never really was able to understand music with my right brain. I had to translate notes through my left brain and execute the translation into my fingers. I was not very good. Eventually, I have up a hopeless adventure.
I remain awed by those with such talents. Listening to Yo Yo Ma, Isaac Pearlman, and so many others virtually brings me to my knees to think that such talent is present.
On Sunday, I am excited to look forward to listening to Joshua Bell at Symphony Hall. It will be awesome.
It is Not New!
My frustration with the ideologues on the political right (as though I was not much different, except on the left) was ameliorated by Rick Perlstein's article that put the present nightmare within the larger historical perspective. He traced the divisions within the Republican Party from the time of Barry Goldwater and folks. There have always been people on the far right who were focused more on ideology that focused on limiting government's interventions in the lives of Americans. Apparently, there was seldom any objection to being involved in other nations, thereby solidifying arguments to support the military. The major focus was achieving the vision of a form of freedom and liberty that was so vibrant in the days of our nation's infancy.
While the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has nourished visions of a more benign approach to the well being of its citizens, there has been little appetite for sacrificing the possible, the practical best, solutions to problems identified as obstacles to a prosperous citizenry, in order to achieve a more idealistic solution to the given issues.
In short, it seems that the Democratic Party has been more pragmatic politically. While differences are shared publicly, they are generally blended to achieve something positive, rather than nothing.
At the moment, it seems that the Republican Right Wing wants to abandon ACA without an alternative plan. They are against something without supporting another plan of action.
As frustrating as this is, Rick Perlstein's article reminds me that this obstreperousness is not new and with any luck, we will survive this period as we have prior iterations.
While the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has nourished visions of a more benign approach to the well being of its citizens, there has been little appetite for sacrificing the possible, the practical best, solutions to problems identified as obstacles to a prosperous citizenry, in order to achieve a more idealistic solution to the given issues.
In short, it seems that the Democratic Party has been more pragmatic politically. While differences are shared publicly, they are generally blended to achieve something positive, rather than nothing.
At the moment, it seems that the Republican Right Wing wants to abandon ACA without an alternative plan. They are against something without supporting another plan of action.
As frustrating as this is, Rick Perlstein's article reminds me that this obstreperousness is not new and with any luck, we will survive this period as we have prior iterations.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Chasing Ice and Feeling Sad!
My dear Grandchildren, Joseph, Nora, Mika, Eve, Emi, and Kellen,
Some years ago, your Mom/Aunt first suggested my writing a blog, based on her conversations with others. I did eventually get into blog writing because I could never assume that I would live long enough to have conversations about significant issues that are meaningful to me and, hopefully, you. So, the blog was intended to serve as a mechanism for you to get to know what I felt and thought about a range of various issues.
Watching "Chasing Ice" represents a chance to share my grief, my tears about the horrendous damage my generation (I am aware the process may have started earlier and most likely will continue after my generation) has contributed to the damage to our beautiful home, Earth.
At your young age, you can anticipate living 75+ more years, i.e., 2088 and more. I am incredibly sad that this beautiful planet given to us to experience life is being ruined by our greed and selfishness. Our wanting to live according to our desires without regard to its impact on the environment resulted in such devastation to the planet.
You have reason to be angry at us who proceeded you. You will suffer the consequences of our greed and disregard of all sorts of warnings about our behavior's effect on the earth.
"Chasing Ice" was a monumental effort to time sequence the devastation to our glaciers in Iceland, Greenland and Alaska. To watch what has happened in the last ten years, compared to last 100, is overwhelmingly sad.
I cannot put in words any justification for our behavior. I am sorry that you will have to deal with a world so compromised by our disregard of its beauty.
You may wonder what would have possessed us to not change our ways when the opportunity presented itself. If I were alive, I would share your confusion about the resistance to adapt properly to the "laws of nature". We came from a time when we thought that the world was made for us to do as we wanted, instead of a jewel that required care and attention. We screwed up badly and you and your generation will be left with the consequences without a means to remedy the situation. A line will have been crossed that will signal that the damage is beyond repair.
For the moment, I share the awkwardness of reporting our resistance to adapt to ensure that we avoid crossing the "line of no return" while knowing that my generation will have died before the inevitable problems surface. It is not fair to you and your generation. There is nothing I can say that will ameliorate the situation.
I am truly sorry.
Some years ago, your Mom/Aunt first suggested my writing a blog, based on her conversations with others. I did eventually get into blog writing because I could never assume that I would live long enough to have conversations about significant issues that are meaningful to me and, hopefully, you. So, the blog was intended to serve as a mechanism for you to get to know what I felt and thought about a range of various issues.
Watching "Chasing Ice" represents a chance to share my grief, my tears about the horrendous damage my generation (I am aware the process may have started earlier and most likely will continue after my generation) has contributed to the damage to our beautiful home, Earth.
At your young age, you can anticipate living 75+ more years, i.e., 2088 and more. I am incredibly sad that this beautiful planet given to us to experience life is being ruined by our greed and selfishness. Our wanting to live according to our desires without regard to its impact on the environment resulted in such devastation to the planet.
You have reason to be angry at us who proceeded you. You will suffer the consequences of our greed and disregard of all sorts of warnings about our behavior's effect on the earth.
"Chasing Ice" was a monumental effort to time sequence the devastation to our glaciers in Iceland, Greenland and Alaska. To watch what has happened in the last ten years, compared to last 100, is overwhelmingly sad.
I cannot put in words any justification for our behavior. I am sorry that you will have to deal with a world so compromised by our disregard of its beauty.
You may wonder what would have possessed us to not change our ways when the opportunity presented itself. If I were alive, I would share your confusion about the resistance to adapt properly to the "laws of nature". We came from a time when we thought that the world was made for us to do as we wanted, instead of a jewel that required care and attention. We screwed up badly and you and your generation will be left with the consequences without a means to remedy the situation. A line will have been crossed that will signal that the damage is beyond repair.
For the moment, I share the awkwardness of reporting our resistance to adapt to ensure that we avoid crossing the "line of no return" while knowing that my generation will have died before the inevitable problems surface. It is not fair to you and your generation. There is nothing I can say that will ameliorate the situation.
I am truly sorry.
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