Swan Sanctuary

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a week in England. My dear friend, Dr. William Sladen, a native Britain, had arranged for me to visit Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Center, in the southwestern part of England. While I was there, I was given the rare privilege of feeding the wild Whooper and Bewick swans that flew in nightly. Driving through the English countryside, I felt as though I was traveling in another time – a simpler time. It felt oddly familiar and I wanted to stay there forever. 

Another highlight of that trip was my visit to Stonehenge. We had gone early on a cloud covered, foggy morning. The mist lent an air of mystery to the already mysterious monument. The photographs that I took portrayed a haunting beauty which I will always cherish. Stonehenge continues to fascinate those who are drawn to it. It is believed to have taken over 1,000 years to build it. There is also evidence that some of the bluestones that make up part of it, originated in Wales. A similar structure has recently been discovered in Wales. Although no one knows for sure, how or why Stonehenge was built, the arrangement of the stones always coincides with the winter and summer solstices. The sun rises and sets always over the same stones. Over the centuries, efforts have been made to preserve the monolithic structure. Historical pictures have been found that depict its rebuilding during the Victorian era, in 1901. More restorations were undertaken in the 1920s, 1959, and 1964.

I had heard many years ago that information is stored in stone – and in bone. There is no doubt that the stones of Stonehenge contain deep secrets. It is also not surprising that I am drawn to England – like a magnet. I have celebrated the solstices, rather than modern, traditional holidays, for the past twenty years. My paternal grandmother was an immigrant from Wales. I aslo found out recently that my DNA shows me to be 98% British. Somehow, I have always known this. I feel it in my bones.

I may have mentioned in a previous blog that I had planted too many tomatoes in the garden. I gave several small basket-fulls away, ate them in salads, salsa, and spaghetti sauce; but I was still left with far more beautiful, ripe and semi-ripe tomatoes than I could use. The weather  has turned cold and the vines are still loaded with green ones, which will now be composted. The ones I had saved from the frost needed to be used quickly. Not wanting them to spoil, I began to wonder if I might be able to use my crockpot to make sauce. 

Blanching, seeding, and removing the tomato skins is time consuming and tedious. I did not have a lot of time, so I Googled a recipe which sounded easy enough. I only had to quarter them, toss them in the crockpot, and allow them to simmer for a few hours before straining out the skins and seeds. The recipe suggested using a food mill, but not having one I mashed them through a screen mesh bowl – as best I could. Unfortunately, it was not good enough. I ended up with tomato juice instead of sauce.

I have always had a knack for making a meal even when it appears that the cupboard (and refrigerator) are bare. My tomato juice, while not thick enough for sauce, smelled positively wonderful, since I had added freshly dried herbs from the garden as well. I decided to make a soup, a minestrone using the tomato juice as the base. Applying permaculture reasoning to the problem, my apparent failure was the solution, and my kitchen failures over the years have helped me to become a successful cook.

I have realized that for someone who grows tomatoes and needs to preserve them, a food mill is an essential item for the kitchen. I will definitely be purchasing one prior to next year’s harvest!

While dreaming may be the best way to travel, it is not really feasible here in the physical realm. I read recently that a luxury sleeper bus has been implemented for those traveling between Washington and Memphis. Similar forms of travel have already become more common in parts of Asia. Clearly, we need to come up with travel solutions. The maze of congested highways crisscrossing everywhere, coupled with an ever-increasing human population, cannot endure. Automobiles have contributed to global warming, air pollution, horrendous accidents, and the slaughter of millions of animals. They are becoming more and more expensive to buy and to maintain. Unexpected repairs can set a person back financially for months. Our lives; however, are dependent upon our mobility.   

Air travel leaves much to be desired. Airplanes are cramped and uncomfortable. It takes a lot of money to maintain and fuel the planes, not to mention the need for airports, runways, baggage storage ,and employees. Getting to the airports often involves long car rides. Your gate is often a long hike from where you entered the terminal and flights are often delayed, leaving people stranded in airports for hours. The noise and air pollution they create is huge and they are the cause of death for millions of migrating birds. Flying is without a doubt, an expensive way to travel and it is not exactly pleasant. Trains are also loud and big polluters, as well as being inconvenient. 

Horse travel was the quickest way to get around prior to automobiles, but many horse owners treated their horses very cruelly. Ideally, the most sustainable form of travel is on foot, or by bicycle. I have spent many years using a bicycle as my main means of travel, but it is not a safe way to travel if you live near, and must ride, on country roads. 

Highways, roads, fences, and the parceling of land have resulted in the decline of many species because they cannot cross these barriers to find food, water, and shelter. Humans need to slow down and stop being in such a hurry. Luxury buses with ample sleeping compartments may be one way to offer people a calmer, more affordable travel experience, that would result in less automobiles on the highways and fewer accidents. For now, reducing unnecessary driving is a good start.

Having followed the sage advice of Eckhart Tolle for a while now, I am more watchful of the words that come out of my mouth. I am alert to the tricks that my ego gets up to, sometimes causing me to get lost in the “thinking mind.” I watch my thoughts and guard my tongue when I remember to stay centered in the present moment. 

I notice the habitual words of others as well. I have been made keenly aware of how often people complain. I used to complain too, until I learned that complaining is like feeding a monster. A mild complaint, when focused on and talked about, continues to grow. Most people want others to hear their complaints in order to garner sympathy. The truth is, most everyone else is busy voicing their own complaints, so they don’t care to hear about yours unless you can commiserate about a complaint that is common to both of you. We often feel validated if someone else shares a similar problem.

When we complain about our body, instead of appreciating it, we hinder its ability to maintain healthful harmony. If we  have pain or discomfort somewhere, it is our body’s urgent message that something is wrong. Many people ignore their body’s messages. They prefer to take a pill or seek the help of a medical doctor, rather than sitting quietly and listening to the message their body is trying to convey to them. Often, our bodies can provide us the solution if we are willing to listen. 

I become slightly irritated when people I barely know begin to relate to me all of their physical complaints. If I suggest that they drink more water for their headache, or see a chiropractor for their backache, they blow it off. They believe that the discomfort they are feeling is coming from somewhere outside of them. They do not wish to hear that they have contributed to the pain they are experiencing. They fail to see that our bodies have infinite intelligence hard wired into them, if only we would give them the credit they deserve.

I will be turning 70 in another month and my own body is sending me louder and more frequent messages. Life is a cycle and like all things, my physical body will reach the end of its service to me. I keep my lips sealed, rather than complain about the increased frequency of messages it sends me. I spend more time appreciating this flesh that has allowed me to experience so much during my lifetime. Its intelligence never ceases to amaze me. Occasionally, I might get a small scratch or a cut and the bright, red blood that appears, shows me how vital it is to this sacred vessel that has housed me for so many years. It reminds me that every body is precious and we would do well to honor, rather than complain about them.

In many spiritual beliefs we are told that we are connected – that we are all part of the one Source of Life. This is generally referring to our connection with other humans and sometimes other animals. We are, in fact, connected in a myriad of ways. The rivers all over the world connect with the ocean where they merge and become one. Birds fly in formations, turning as one. Schools of fish, swarms of bees, and ants, too, become one to accomplish a purpose. Planets revolve around the sun, creating one universe. A person marries, has children and becomes a family, which is part of a family tree connecting him to all of his relatives. Our roads lead to highways, connecting to other highways across the country, from one end to the other. The blood vessels and nerves in our bodies connect our organs to each other so that they can operate as one whole body.

Everywhere you look, you will see that life is connected to life. In so many ways, life is interdependent upon life. No one thing or person can live completely independent of other life. Predators require prey. Plants require pollinators. We require each other. This makes you wonder why so many humans tell themselves that they are better than others, as a result of an inflated ego. Conversely, others believe themselves to be victims in an unjust world, which is also an attention getting ploy of the ego. 

Our bodies can tell us more precisely when our beliefs are out of balance. Our wrong thinking, combined with negative emotions, results in sickness in the body. If our foot decided to hate our shoulder for some ill conceived notion, refusing to see their common connection, it would result in disharmony. If our stomach resented our heart, this would cause trouble in the harmonious workings of our body. How often do we criticize one another, assume an air of superiority, or seek to harm others, forgetting our connection and forgetting that we need each other? Whenever we feel out of balance, we should take time to observe Nature. We should gaze up at the night sky or watch a river slowly wind its way to the sea. Nature maintains its equilibrium and until human beings come to understand and accept that we are nothing more than a tiny link in the chain of life – not life itself – then we will not find lasting peace.