Swan Sanctuary

The handshake has become an important human gesture throughout much of the world. The customs surrounding it vary from country to country. Here in North America, a firm handshake, accompanied by eye contact, is considered appropriate. However; in the Middle East and in Japan a weaker handshake is preferred, as a firm one implies rudeness. There are other various subtleties worldwide, which unless you spend your time travelling to foreign countries, you probably do not need to know. For the past few weeks, you cannot turn on the news without hearing about the Coronavirus, which like many viruses, can be spread by a simple handshake.

The handshake was practiced as far back as the fifth century BC and is believed to be a sign that you were not harboring a weapon. In India, a greeting and/or parting gesture that supplants the handshake common in most of the world, is to place your hands in a prayer position in front of you and with a slight bow, speak, “Namaste”. This is a way for the god within each of us to honor the god in the other person. It does not require physical contact and therefore does not contribute to the spread of disease. My dear friend and swan mentor, Dr. William Sladen, would not shake hands with people for that very reason. He was well into his nineties when I knew him and most of the other people who knew him thought he was strange, but I loved that about him.

This new virus has now been classified as a pandemic. It has led to certain areas declaring a state of emergency. Naturally, the media has thrown a large percentage of people into near hysteria. The news will tell you that it seems to target older people and people in nursing homes, implying that those people’s lives might in some way be cut short – as if they were already leading quality lives and being contributing members of society. It is my guess that most of the people in nursing homes would just as soon that their lives be finished; but keeping them alive ensures a regular paycheck for those employed to care for them. Nature will continue to find ways to decrease our burgeoning population. She will continue to give us viruses, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and earthquakes. In our ignorance we will continue to fight wars, eliminating still more lives; but until human beings awaken as a whole, these disasters will continue. Even if we are not concerned with contracting a virus through a handshake, the symbol of Namaste – of honoring each other – is the first step towards world peace.

Today I am determined, in spite of the twenty plus mile-per-hour winds, to mark out the garden beds that I intend to dig, and scatter poppy seeds and columbine seeds ahead of tomorrow’s expected snow. I love rain. It is one of my many favorite things; however, in this arid climate it is a rarity indeed. I must settle for snow, but I am grateful for precipitation in whatever form it chooses to arrive. I really do not mind the spring snows. They are filled with precious moisture that seeps into the soil and gently coaxes the seeds to germinate. Later, with the sun to warm them and if they are spared from freezing in this harsh and fickle weather, they will delight me with lush growth and flowers.

There are so many wonderful shades of green. Perhaps that is why St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in March. Green is a color of hope, but without the white stuff and the brown soil, we might never know the peaceful calm of green. White, like all colors, has its place. Without the clouds, the sky would be dull and not very interesting. I do love the clouds. In fact, I find the snow to be quite beautiful. It is only the accompanying cold that I find so distasteful. White is beautiful in its own right. Someone has figured out that white picket fences do a beautiful job of showing off the green, along with the many hued flowers.

A part of me is resisting the snow that will soon be falling again, but I welcome it all the same. Plants and flowers need moisture in order to thrive and I need them all. I choose to remain snug and warm within my own seed coat until the storm has passed. There will probably be a few more storms before winter has had his final say in the matter; but soon the sun will come out to warm me and the winds will blow themselves out, so that my garden and I can truly blossom.

I have lived with an underlying state of anxiety for most of my life. I think that most people living in these times live with tremendous anxiety. While the majority take either illegal or prescription drugs – or both – to keep their fears at bay; I prefer to remain alert so that I am better able to deal with challenges that are presented to me. Many keep perpetual appointments with a therapist, as well, but rarely see improvement. If we continue to focus on our problems, we are constantly feeding them and their power over us grows.

Nearly everyone that I know is taking a drug of some form or another. I will not take them. Side effects aside, drugs place a barrier to communication, between me and my body. When I have pain, my body is seeking to get my attention. If I have taken a drug to numb the pain, I will not hear what it is that my body is trying to say. If my body is fighting a battle with a pathogen, it already has its work cut out. If I take a drug, my body becomes further burdened by having to deal with the foreign substance that I have force fed it. There are thousands of plants that have been provided for us that can assist our bodies with the difficult work of maintaining health. Herbs and plants, in their natural form, which we have known about and used for centuries, are completely non-toxic and non-habit forming. Over-dose of herbs is unheard of. In addition to plants, water is the other substance that is vital to our well-being. I have seen people complain of a headache and immediately pop a pain reliever into their mouth. In many cases, they are severely dehydrated and simply drinking a couple of glasses of pure water would banish their headache.

I spend much of my time watching the birds at my feeders. There is always one or two acting as sentinel, watching out for predators while the others eat at the feeders or drink from the birdbath. If you observe birds and animals in the wild, you will see that they are at most times, in a state of hyper awareness. This alertness is imperative to their safety. Unlike humans, anxiety is saved for real and present danger and often escalates into full-out fear when the danger is imminent. If these birds or animals were to take drugs, their ability to remain alert to possible peril, would be compromised. When I sense my anxiety rising, I remember to breathe. I meditate. I pray. Like the birds, I prefer to remain alert rather than complicate any situation by subjecting my mind to the influence of a drug. I return to the present moment, like the birds, and revel in simply being.

Out of curiosity, I researched the popular pastime of grouping human beings, mostly of the last century, into generational categories. Some of the names I had not heard of. Novelist Gertrude Stein referred to those people who had survived World War I, leaving them aimless and reckless, as the “Lost Generation”. This group of people was born from around 1901 to 1927, amid the Roaring “20’s. The generation following them, born between 1928 and 1945 lived through the Great Depression and were to become known as the Greatest Generation. Those born amid World War II and the economic depression that came with it are known as the Silent Generation. The Baby Boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964 were the product of post war prosperity and industrialization. Generation X constitutes the children born of the Baby Boomers between approximately 1965 and 1980. Those born after 1980 to about 1995 are called Millennials. Children born after mid-1990 to 2010 are known as the Z Generation. The current generation, or those born after 2011 until approximately 2025 have been named Generation Alpha. Generation Alpha is the only generation to be exclusive to the 21^st century.

These demarcations are blurry, of course, due to natural overlap. Looking at human beings over this long range, the differences in how these groups look at and approach life, are quite different. Is this evidence of our human evolvement? Perhaps neither Homo sapiens, nor any other species is a “finished product”, but an ever changing and evolving being. While we retain many of the same physical characteristics, our views and our everyday lives are hugely different from that of our great, great grandparents, as are the early humans whose fossils have been studied. While I personally do not like labels or compartmentalizing people, when we realize our own insignificance in the grand scheme of life, we become a curiosity even to ourselves.

I think one cannot help but feel their heart leap with joy at the emergence of a sunny, spring day. Following weeks of cold, bitter winter, the first spring-like day rivals the excitement of Christmas morning. The birds also react to the change in energy as they begin to seek mates and build nests to raise a brood of young hatchlings. When it is warm enough to open the windows, I love to listen to the beautiful birdsong that drifts through them. Sitting in a patch of sunlight that is beaming through the window, its warmth penetrating my very bones, is like a slice of heaven. Not even a hot bath can warm me in the delicious way that the sun can. I often envy my cat that has no “to do” list and he can lie in the sun without the slightest sense of concern or guilt.

Spring; however, is often fickle. She can be here one day and gone the next. She is often timid at first, appearing weak as she confronts her winter opponent. Winter wants to show her who is boss. He wants to monopolize our days with blustery winds and unexpected, late snow storms. He wants to remain even after the dismissal bell and overstay his welcome. In the end, Spring will blossom in all her glory. She will win the day. Love always wins.

Today, I will revel in the first signs of a spring day. I know that she is not yet here to stay. She will fight that yearly battle with winter for a few weeks yet; but she will in time, come to reign for her allotted time, before she must abdicate her royal position to her summer sister.

Edward Aloysius Murphy Jr. said, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” This subsequently became known as Murphy’s Law. I cannot help wondering, is this actually a physical law, like the law of gravity? Was Murphy a pessimist?

While I have witnessed evidence that Murphy may have been onto something, I have also seen that the opposite is true nearly as often. The bread often lands with the buttered side up. The rain holds off until after the picnic. Someone took a different route and there was a fatal crash on the original route. God works in mysterious ways. The original quote was “God moves in mysterious ways.” This, by the way, was written by a composer, William Cowper, from the 1700’s. There really is nothing all that mysterious about the events in our lives. Sure, unexpected things happen, but when we set our intention each day from the very beginning, many potential catastrophes can be circumvented.

I know that few would take my word for this, but having devoted the first hour or more, every day for the past thirty years to meditation, prayer, and intention, I have proven to myself beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we experience an almost exact reflection of our inner most beliefs. Whatever we think, state, and feel with conviction, will become our reality. This is a very exacting law that like gravity, never fails. A few days prior to Thanksgiving as a single mom, I was faced with the dilemma of not having a kitchen table. I assured my daughters that we would have a table in time for Thanksgiving. Sure enough, the day before it arrived, a table came to us. My great lesson in this manifestation; however, was that I had not asked for chairs. I did not ask for a dining room set, nor did I ask for a table and chairs. I had simply asked for a table and the universe promptly complied.

So, do I believe in Murphy’s Law? I believe that as long as I believe in it, it will prove me right. On the other hand, if I choose not to believe in Murphy’s Law, that will prove me right as well. And on those few occasions when things appear to have gone awry, I will not judge; but know that there is a reason and know that ultimately; all is as it should be.

I was thinking recently while sitting and simply being grateful for so many things, that I am truly grateful for color. Unless you are an artist or involved in some other form of creative endeavor, you may not thing about color very much. Of course, we know that it is actually the sun reflecting various spectrums for our eyes to perceive, but can you imagine a world without it? Would it be dull and depressing? Growing up with black and white television, we did not miss the color or even notice that it was not there. Did our imaginations automatically supply the color without our conscious realization?

It is interesting how when we are feeling joy or when we are in love, colors appear brighter; while if we are feeling gloomy or melancholy, it is as if that ability of our eyes to see color becomes clouded over. Most people have favorite colors and there are sciences that determine the varied emotions that colors can elicit from us. There are also colors associated with our auras. I have always loved purple and green because it is the combination so often seen in many of nature’s spring flowers. I prefer colors in pairs, ones that complement each other, like pink and grey or navy and white, rather than one color by itself.

We are all familiar with the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue, and with the secondary colors of orange, green, and purple. Beyond the many tertiary colors of infinite shades of these, I have often tried to imagine other colors that might exist elsewhere; but of course I cannot. Is it possible that different colors exist in some faraway place on another planet or in another galaxy? Probably not; but suffice it to say, I appreciate the vast array of color available here on our own planet and I am grateful for a colorful life and for my eyes that can perceive it!

Just like so many of our governmental and societal customs, Super Tuesday is another gimmick that takes something which should be simple and turns into something complicated that most people have little understanding about. Taxes and laws also, have become convoluted to the point that many people feel completely powerless when they are dealing with them.

I get so tired of hearing about Democrats, Republicans, right, left, conservative, liberal, red states, blue states, caucuses, primaries, and all of those things designed to create separation and animosity. Every voter should be allowed to vote in primaries, regardless of the state he lives in or the party he supports. Politics is a subject that most people steer away from because these conversations so often end with people taking offence at what another person said. Whether or not we agree with another, it is in our willingness to hear another view point that allows us to reach a middle ground. Debates have descended into nothing more than mudslinging and discrediting opponents. Why don’t these candidates tell us about the changes and solutions that they intend to work on, rather than making promises? There are too many variables that will present themselves during their term in office, to make big promises; and if that person does not fulfill his or her promise, they lose credibility. As voters, don’t we simply want to know that whomever we elect, will do the very best she or he can?

I have always voted as an Independent because I believe it is most important to elect the person who can fill the position with the most integrity and grace. I listened to some of the Democratic debates early on, but I have become increasingly frustrated because it seems that the really good candidates have dropped out. Biden only brags about the things he has done in the past. Sanders has good ideas, but his age concerns me because I think the problems we are facing require new and innovative solutions, that may only come through someone who has not been tainted by the ignorance of the past. Warren is often emotional and confrontational in the debates so I wonder; can she keep her passion under control if she is elected? Bloomberg is too much like Trump – using his own money to further his own interest and not truly caring about the people. Tulsi Gabbard impresses me because she seems to be centered in her own being. She has been a soldier in Iraq, she is level headed, and she has not neglected the spiritual aspect of her life. It is probable that like Marianne Williamson, Tom Steyer, and Andrew Lang, she too, will drop out sooner than later, but I am hoping she will stand her ground. The only thing super about this day is the hope that one of them will beat Trump.