What's Your Agenda

"Nature has no agenda."

I can't remember where I first read the above quote, or who it is attributed to, but it's one that I like to return to whenever I become overwhelmed by the verbal tug of war that seems to be continually going on around me every day. One cannot turn on the news or log on to social media without being bombarded by the us vs them, right/wrong, good/bad mentality. It's as if everyone has forgotten that, for better or worse, we're all in this together. How much easier would it be if we had no personal agendas? What if we just all rowed in the same direction for a change and did what we were put here to do?

Nature, indeed, has no agenda. You only have to spend a little time in it, watching it, from one season to another, to realize that by just being who and what it is, nature goes on . It was here long before we got here and, if we were to all disappear tomorrow, it would rejuvenate itself and keep right on going after we're gone. That's a pretty big pill to swallow when you stop to think about it: nature can get along very well without us. In fact, it could get along much better without us. 

The tree pictured above was my oldest granddaughter's favorite tree when she was little. She called it Grandma Willow after a character in the Disney version of "Pocahontas." It isn't a willow, but she didn't care. She loved it and brought it presents all the time. Years later most of it came down in a winter storm. Even though she was an adult when it happened, she was saddened when she saw it, as if she had lost a dear friend. As you can see, Grandma Willow is doing what she needs to do be who she is. As soon as spring arrived after that awful winter had passed, she started sending out new shoots and branches. By the time my great-grandson, the child of that little girl who brought presents to a tree, is grown, Grandma Willow will be providing love to another generation. She's just being who she is. 

Grass doesn't have an agenda - it just grows. Trees take their cues from the seasons, blooming in the spring, producing fruit, nuts, seeds, and shade in the summer, dropping its leaves and mulching the ground in the fall, pulling itself in to rest and nurture itself in the winter, all to start the journey again in the spring. Animals go through life eating, breathing, and raising their young. Some hibernate or migrate in the winter, some hunker down and ride it out. For all species of every kind, it would seem that spring is the one factor that is featured in everyones story. When spring comes, it's as if they all follow the same message: just be who you are. 

So how about we take a cue from Mother Nature and find a way to just be who we are?. What better time than spring to follow the birds and the trees, and just live without agendas, only a commitment to be who and what we were made to be: love and happiness.

And so it is. 

Buds, Bees, And New Beginnings

When I looked out of my window yesterday, it was hard to believe that just 10 days ago I woke up to a dusting of snow on the rooftops and lawns of the houses all up and down the block. Yesterday, after a long overdue string of 65+ degree days, I woke up instead to ... green! All the trees that had been wearing their winter scarves just last week were now decked out in a sweet profusion of green buds and the beginnings of leaves and flowers. Just to make it a perfect Easter morning, I spied my very first bee of the season as well. The little guy was buzzing around the windows of my apartment complex. I think he was trying to figure out how to get inside to feast on the tempting Easter plants that were gracing every one's window sills ... alas, behind glass. He even made a pass at my window but if he had gotten in, he would have been disappointed - the flowers on my desk aew made of silk and paper, not sweet, new nectar (with two cats who like to feast on my plants a.k.a. the Kitty Salad Bar, I've learned my lesson about cats and plants sunning on the window sills). Off flew my little stripped friend to search for his Easter breakfast!

There is something about the arrival of spring, especially if it was long overdue, that incites me to think about new beginnings. Like the new buds on the trees promising a whole new season of leaves, flowers and fruits, spring is a time for us to throw open our windows - and our minds - let in the fresh air, and let new ideas flow in on the warmer breezes of the season. It's time to put away our snow boots, get out our sneakers, and put a spring into our steps. It's a time to say, "what's next?"

This week I get to start a new part-time job that I never would have dreamed I'd be doing at this season of my life. For me it is a new, fresh, and exciting time to be out and about, to join with others to make the world a little bit better one step, and one child, at a time. It could not have come at a better time, when the trees, the bees, and all of nature is waking up to a brand new day and a brand new start. May your own spring be filled with the wonders of nature and the joys of new beginnings. 

And so it is.

I've Got The Whole World In My Hands

There are two things I like to do on rainy days. One is to curl up with a good book, a pot of tea, and a cat on my lap. The other is to cook. I love it when my apartment fills with the good smells of something simmering on the stove while the rain beats away outside. 

Yesterday after church, I turned on a DIY show on TV and hunted through my veggie bin to see what I could stir up while the rain came down in sheets outside. At this time of year, the veggie of the moment is asparagus. I know not everyone is a fan of this little green tree, but I am always determined to find new ways to make it work. As I stood at my counter chopping away, I felt that satisfaction I always experience whenever I am handling fruits and vegetables. Ever since I've had to give up full-scale gardening, chopping and cooking foods fresh from from the ground is the next best thing to connect me with the natural world. When I wash the earth off mushrooms, or slice up an apple, or grab a handful of fresh spinach to put in my morning smoothie, I feel as if I have the whole world in my hands. If you think about it, everything on this earth needs to eat, and many, many species, including humans, eat off the land. It's all connected ... we're all connected. The sun, the plants, and, yes, even the rain, are all connected. Sometimes just standing there slicing veggies while the rain falls over my head is enough to remind me to give thanks for that connection. 

I ended up steaming some of the asparagus to serve with a drizzle of lemon juice, the the rest as part of an Asian-themed stir fry with mushrooms for another meal. That's what's so great about this world - all of the interesting and nourishing diversity, with people as well as with veggies!

And so it is. 

Carpe Diem Anyway!

Today was a Carpe Diem kind of day. For anyone who doesn't know what that means, check out the movie "Dead Poets Society." An unconventional teacher in a private school challenges his students with the phrase carpe diem ... seize the day! 

(Carpe diem, (Latin: “pluck the day” or “seize the day”) phrase used by the Roman poet Horaceto express the idea that one should enjoy life while one can.)

The weather, which only two days ago had been a combination of rain and sleet, had decided that today it would not only be spring, but a glorious spring day at that. The birds started singing their hearts out before sunrise. While the day started out on the chilly side, by 11 a.m the sun was shinning and folks were shedding their coats when they stepped outside - 60 degrees! Sure, I know that it's upstate New York and by tomorrow we could be scrapping frost off the windshields of our cars, but right now, today, at this moment, it was a carpe diem kind of day for sure. 

Leaving early and taking my time walking to church this morning, I was taking it all in with every fiber of my being ... until some crazy woman almost ran me down careening around a corner like, as my mother used to say, a bat out of hell. There for just a few moments my good mood vanished and I felt my button being pushed. The desire to yell out something unpleasant was halfway out of my mouth before I caught myself and pulled it back in. I knew that once it was out there, the rest of my walk, and my morning, and my day for that matter, were no longer mine to control. I would have given it over to the anger and frustration brought on by the lack of consideration of someone I didn't even know. Talk about giving your power away!

We are so conditioned by the world to lash out at some person or situation that has shattered our peace and tranquility. For all I know that woman could have just received some bad news and was rushing to someones bedside. Maybe she was late for work. Or, maybe someone had stolen her own tranquility and she was lashing out the only way she knew how. While I certainly don't condone her behavior - someone could have gotten seriously hurt - fuming and yelling on my part certainly wasn't going to make things better. If anything, I would be robbing myself of my good mood by buying into it. So I turned my face to the sun, took in a deep breath, and said: "Carpe Diem Anyway! "

If I didn't learn anything else from all of the years of studying the works of people like Louise Hay and Wayne Dyer, it was that all of our power rests in this present, sacred moment. What we decide to do with it determines how the next moment will unfold, and the next, and the next. We don't need any one's permission to choose to have a good day, and we certainly don't have to give our power over to anyone else just because theirs isn't going well. 

As for the rest of my day, the church service was wonderful, my church family were their usual loving, hugging, cheerful selves, and the walk home after the service was slow, sweet, and filled with sunshine. And, just in case there was someone out there who might try to rob me of my beautiful day again, I was ready for them. In fact, I might just have this put on a T-shirt:

CARPE DIEM ANYWAY!

And so it is!

The Return Of Mud Season

We hit 61 degrees on Friday ... followed by rain, rain, and more rain. Welcome to Mud Season, the unspoken but clearly visible season that creeps in between winter and spring, somewhere between March and April, and ends up creeping into your home as well no matter how good a job you do of wiping your feet or leaving your shoes at the door. You won't find it on the calendar, especially in warmer climates. Mud Season only occurs in parts of the country that are done with winter snow but not yet ready for spring grass and trees. During this time of indecision on Mother Nature's part ... or whoever she left in charge of the northeast during this time ... the weather does, indeed, warm up, and the snow does, indeed, melt, but the rains move in and hangs around like that unwelcome house guest that doesn't realize when they've overstayed their welcome. What is that old saying about house guests and fish, something like both will smell when they've been there too long? Well, have you ever really smelled mud? It's not likely anything that will ever appear on any one's "Top 5 Things I Love About Nature," list (except maybe those guys that like to go mud racing). 

We all have a Mud Season from time to time in our lives. It's those times when we know we're not happy with where we're at but have no idea where we want to go, so we just stay stuck where we are and keep churning our wheels until we just become so stuck that we can't get out. It's not surprising that a lot of this occurs during that changeover from winter to spring. We've just spent three dark, cold, months not terribly motivated to make any changes or try something new when all we want is a warm blanket, a bowl of soup, and getting caught up with Game of Thrones. Or maybe the holidays were so stressful and overloaded that all you can think about is hiding under your pillow until Easter. In any case, making lasting changes aren't going to happen no matter what you vowed on New Year's Day. So when spring does finally get here, we get a bit hyped by the warmer weather and the return of our rational minds from the deep freeze, and that's when we wake up, look around us and ask, "Now what?" And if we don't know, we just sit there hoping that it will come to us in a download of Divine Inspiration ... while we continue to watch Game of Thrones. 

Here's the scoop, people: if you want to plant flowers, you have to get up, and get going. Just like we start our flower seeds indoors until the mud dries and the ground can accept them, we can start making positive changes in our lives by planting the seeds of new ideas and new directions, keeping them watered, fed, and in the light, and waiting until the time is right to move them outside and plant our new roots deep. Maybe you need to go back to school, or do some research, or apprentice yourself to someone who's doing what you truly want to do. Maybe you just need a change of scenery, or tribe. Whatever it is, you can't let a little thing like mud hold you back. Even if you have to use both hands to pull yourself out of the muck, it will be so worth it when the mud finally dries and your life blooms.

So get yourself a new pair of boots if you must, but don't let this all too transient season get you down. A lotus flower actually grows out of the mud, did you know that? What can you grow?

And so it is. 

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The Fight For A Sustainable World

For the past week I have been enjoying a seminar sponsored by Food Matters TV. It is called "The Total Wellness Summit," and runs through March 31. Experts from all over the world, in all areas of health and wellness, plus personal stories of miraculous transformations, have not only kept me glued to the screen, but has opened up some new questions that I have decided need answering not only for my own health, but for the health of our planet.

I became a vegan about 6 years ago. It started out with my decision to cut out red meat and eat only chicken and fish as advised by the medical profession at the time. I followed that up with dairy products for two reasons. First, I found that I could tolerate plant-based dairy alternatives better than regular dairy products, and, second, I remembered what I discovered some years ago when I was doing a story for a regional newspaper about the debate regarding injecting cows with hormones to produce more milk. One of the arguments against it at that time was the claim by the dairy farmers that forcing the cows to produce more milk left them open to more infections from mastitis, which in turn required more doses of antibiotics, etc, etc. It was a vicious circle that all ended up in the milk that we drink. It is any wonder that there are more and more cases where antibiotics that used to work no longer do because we have become immune to them? Anyway, my journey to veganism was fully realized when I took a whole month to do my research (once a reporter, always a reporter), and looked into what was going into the food we eat, from plants to processed foods and everything in between. It came to a head when I started watching the documentaries about factory farms that produced the meat that we eat. To say that I was wounded to the core is an understatement. I decided then and there that no living thing should have to withstand torture and a most gruesome murder just so I can have a burger and a shake. 

Watching the summit this week has again gotten me thinking about what kind of a world we are going to leave for our children and grandchildren when what comes out of the ground is filled with poisons and chemicals, and that the ground itself is slowly but surely being depleted to the point where nothing healthy can grow. Add to that the pollution of air and water, and the continued extinction of so many species of animals that the kids of the future will never see, and it has renewed my commitment to doing what I can, where I can, with whatever tools and gifts I have, to see that we all don't end up becoming extinct as Deepak Chopra suggested at a recent conference where he stated quite bluntly that humankind is in danger of evolving themselves right out of existence just like the dinosaurs if we don't make a stand now.

Somehow I think seeing this summit as spring is beginning to wake up the earth is the perfect time for all of us to ask ourselves whether we are willing to just let things go as they have because we believe we are powerless against big business, or whether we truly believe we owe it to ourselves, the future generations, and Mother Earth herself, to do what we can, where we can, with whatever tools and gifts we have, to take a stand. If not now, then when? If not us, then who?

And so it is. 

Barking and Bird Song

Just as the cold and snow has finally started to crawl out of here and let a few days of springlike weather creep in, after almost 6 years without so much as a cold ... I have developed what is coming to be known in our area as "The Never-Ending Cough." It came on during this last week as the winds began to blow in some much warmer weather. There, finally, was the sunshine and blue skies we'd been waiting for ... and with it the constant, tickling, hacking cough. Some folks have been dealing with this mystery ailment all winter. Sitting in church you can hear the wave of coughing going up and down the aisles like a collection plate. Every time I go into one of my coughing fits, I swear I sound exactly like a barking seal. This is the sound that has been my constant companion all week long, 24/7. If I lived near the ocean, I swear I'd have seals swimming inland following their mating call!

The only bright sound that has reached my ears besides this call of the wild is the slow but steady return of my favorite sound of all: bird song. I would rather listen to birds singing outside of my window than Luke Bryan singing a love song. I could sit at my window and watch the birds in the branches singing to one another all day and never even miss TV or YouTube ever again. The only thing that could top Mother Nature's original songbook would be if angels joined in, and who says these little feathered darlings aren't angels in disguise?

So for anyone, anywhere, that is trying to pull through what feels like a never-ending winter and the never-ending cough, try opening up the window the next time you hear birds singing you awake in the morning and inhale a dose of Mother Nature's magic. You might even stop barking!

And so it is.