Moving with the Weather - Chapter Three

There was a time when, 

powerful animal species

all the fish and fowl of the sea and air

vied with us for our very survival.

With no defenses save our own wits

and truly at a grassroots level

whether cold and wet

or arid and hot

we discovered

fire

weapons

tools

hunted and gathered food

planting from seeds offered us from thriving plants.

sheltering where we could.

We have continued to discover new

tools

weapons

sources of warmth and heat

developing more conveniences

building more advanced shelters

refining what we think would make a better life

for ourselves

our families and

the next generations

for tomorrow.

But for today

how does what we do in

the here and now

connect us to the planet that

so generously provides us with raw material for all of these things?

On a misty cool morning

am I grateful or am I annoyed

about possible discomfort or

a change of plans

I’ll confess

I am often at first annoyed.

Where is sunshine and dry air

so I can have a pretty easy time of it

I won’t have to get

wet and muddy 

or feel cold

On this cool, moist morning

my son and I went to a wonderful Farmer’s Market

where all manner of 

bedding plants (herbs, vegetables, flowers)

organically grown chicken, eggs, and beef

hand made garments and baked goods 

grown by local farmers and brought to the city

were available for all to purchase

Humankind chips and chops away at Mother Earth.

However, this morning at this Farmer's Market, 

I saw and felt something different ~ at a grassroots level.

There are many individuals of humankind who

respect and work with our planet's generosity.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life.

We are but one thread within it. Whatever 

we do to the we, we do to ourselves.  All 

things are bound together. All things connect.”

 - Chief Seattle, 1854

Moving with the Weather - Chapter Two

In the pseudo warmth of homes and work places

we can ignore the weather

looking out windows at

glossy rain soaked asphalt

heavy mist moistening shingled roofs

warm sunshine browning summer hills

glittering snow piled high on streets and sidewalks

trees bent over in the wind

It can seem an alien and unfriendly world 

on the other side of the glass.

Humankind has 

created and

normalized

an alien world with

lights at the flick of a switch

warmth on demand

controlled air breathing from

vents in ceilings and walls.

Materials for our

convenience 

entertainment

food

clothing

transportation

for our very survival

laid before us for the taking

require great thanks to whatever planetary gods there may be.

Will learning to bridge between these two worlds

ensure the survival of

our planet and

our species?

‘Praise the bridge that carried you over.’

~ George Colman

Moving with the Weather - Chapter One

A rainy west coast early morning

silent

alone

just as the wind is awakening

asks my soul to stay curled up 

by the fireplace

on the sofa

somewhere warm with a good book and gentle music.

Active, busy energy for the outside world 

must be forced past 

the sluggish feeling of hibernation that comes over me

paralleled with 

melancholy

sadness

echoes of mom’s voice remind me

“you’re afraid you’re going to miss something”

remind me that I never did like to settle quietly for

nap time, quiet time

So it is not 

melancholy, or sadness

but resistance!

My inner child wants to wake up,

move at the speed of her own choosing!

Resistance to a power much greater than me.

The weather......

After almost six and a half decades 

I give in to this quiet calmness,

different energy stirring.

Slow and steady as sweet cool molasses

dropping gently from a jar.

What would I miss?

The opportunity to savour a rainy west coast early morning.

“I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough

to go in when it rains.  One may keep snug and dry by

such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.”

- Adeline Knapp

Dreamcatchers

Today, I had an early morning dream that, four hours after waking, 

I still remembered.

Unusual.

Dreams fragile as spiderwebs in morning dew.

This one with true spidey-strength,
clung fast in my mind despite 
morning routines

a good breakfast

a long phone call with a friend.

Dreaming driving down a highway at night

followed by an elderly lady in a similar car,

turning sharply down a dirt road,

stopping abruptly at the lane way 

to a friend’s farm house from my childhood.

The exterior unchanged,

the women and the home inside, 
different,

smooth
self-assured.

Cars, parked across the road I came in on,

scattered on either side of the lane,

disappearing - even mine!

How was I to get home?

Night time!

Disappearing cars!

tow trucks appear,

police officers 

A daytime dream from several years ago 
clings more surely to my mind,

shrouded in air as cloudy as this morning's dream.

An unfocussed picture of what 

could be

might be

should be

That dream has been pushed aside many times,

gathering it’s own spiderwebs and dust

but occasionally, in prodding around in my mind’s attic,

I wipe away spiderwebs and dust and view my

nursing career 

accomplishments

colleagues and friends

development of a daily writing practice and skills.

Is the fulfillment of that dream

just around the corner of a similar dirt road,

or am I still on the highway
being followed by an old lady in a car like mine?

“Dreams come in a size too big 

  so that we may grow into them.”

~ Josie Bisset

Positioning

Be ready 

Place your feet just so

Flex your knees

Spread your arms wide

Grip the sail board’s wishbone

For when winds of life catch your sail, you’ll plane across deep waters with a speed you would not have on land

Balance in the moment

Catch the spray

Respond to the tug of the wind

Currents of wind and water

from skies above whistle all around

waters below pull at the board beneath your feet.

There’s a ship not far away

Land’s on the other side

Centered in powerful elements 

Balanced in a small space

Positioned for an exhilarating ride

"If you put yourself in a position where you have 

to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you

are forced to expand your consciousness."

~ Les Brown