We didn’t start the fire, it was always burning since the worlds been turning….Billy Joel
It’s like that old Billy Joel song right? Lots of stuff going on right now! What? Oh you hadn’t noticed?
North Korea. Hurricanes and catastrophic flooding. Russia. Terrorists, foreign and domestic. Debt ceilings and Government shutdowns. Special Prosecutors. Seemingly endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Climate change. Crumbling infrastructure. Disturbingly heightened hatred and anger over people’s heritage; skin color; religion; gender; sexual orientation; political beliefs – feel free to add to this list as you wish.
Sheesh! There’s a lot for a retired guy to ponder, to worry about, to formulate solutions for. Or not!
Don’t get me wrong, these things are all very important and to varying degrees terribly worrying, not just for me but I assume for many of you also. I have kids, and grandkids who are no doubt going to bear the brunt of the outcomes of many if not all of these events and many others as yet to be determined. And therein lies some small amount of solace. You see, if I had chosen to write this post a year ago, or five years, or ten, the list would be as long, or longer, contain some of the same things, probably several different things, and, most likely consist of some things long forgotten. In fact if my parents, or grandparents had been blogging they could have put together their lists which I’m certain would look considerably different but still be equally as troubling to them in their time. It is the nature of the vast, diverse, complicated world in which we all live. A world that by virtue of our many forms of instant communication comes into our living rooms and hence our lives every minute of every day. I will admit I have more than once realized how caught up I am in watching the 24 hour news cycle. How critical it is that I be as up to date as humanly and technologically possible on everything that’s going on all over the world. I could usually ace the latest news quiz, or find disappointment that my favorite TV anchor is on vacation, or yell at the lunatic pundit who has an opposing view – to mine.
And just as my internal temperature rises slowly toward boiling I notice that it’s raining!! Or a beautiful red-shouldered hawk has landed on the old dead tree behind the house!! Or Diane’s gardening talents have been rewarded with a stunning yellow rose, or a bright red, sweet tasting late tomato!! Or my dog has curled up at my feet!! And any other of a million small things that make me instantly forget about the guy with the funny haircut in Pyongyang, or the squabbling within our seat of power.
You see, my life, our life, is really not as complicated as the TV, or internet, or news magazines would have me believe. My job is often as simple as opening the doors to listen to the rain. To watch that bird of prey for as long as he would grace me with his presence. To take a moment to smell that rose – literally and figuratively. To pick that tomato at exactly the right time, enjoy its sweet taste and praise my wife for her (now) green thumb. To gently stroke my dog and tell her how amazing it is to have her around.
All these things and so many more just like them are really easy to do, they take such little effort for so much reward. And if I am mindful, these little things are all around me, constantly beckoning me to take advantage of them, providing me with endless opportunities to be grateful for the full yet simple life I have today. Please let me make it very clear, I’m not Pollyanna, nor do I want to become oblivious to what’s going on. The reality of the world around us can certainly be overwhelming at times. It’s simply that every now and again, I’m smart enough to realize that life, the world, is not as bad I sometimes think it is or maybe even want it to be, and that the power to change it is very often right there in my hands – in the television remote!
Until the next one, Namaste
My Side of the Mountain 