Sunday, July 19, 2020

No Rubber Duckies Here!

Hi Friends,

This has been a rough week for me with a close family member in the hospital, thankfully non-Covid related.  I know that this life is a long and often arduous one and wish so many others would realize the same thing.  Social Media, parties, big events like weddings and graduations are a small drop in the bucket of what makes up a good life.  Staying healthy, connected and supportive to promote healthy relationships in whatever way possible to me is the key to staying sane in the midst of chaos. Consider the fact that within the span of my adult lifetime there were no cell phones, no video chats and no ability to communicate via email.  THINK OF THAT.  I am only 61.  Too many people, both young and old enough to know better, are so busy bemoaning the supposed ‘losses’ they are suffering due to the global pandemic that they are not counting the blessings that were not even possibilities less than 50 years ago.  We are a spoiled nation, a spoiled society and a spoiled human race.  

I know I normally speak of the most positive things that I can find within existence,  but the burden of being wise, mature and empathic in the face of true collective madness has taken the ease of such an outlook away from me this past week. I hope all of you out there are being wise, safe, level-headed and conscientious about your actions for without such things I have no real hope for the move towards healing and any sense of normalcy.  In other words if you are spending most of your time with online media, refusing to follow the simplest safety measures which ensure everyone’s safety and think that anything you don’t want to deal with is a ‘hoax’, or waiting until disaster strikes you or your loved ones directly to take anything seriously, I have two words for you.  SHUT UP.  Stop whining, start counting your own blessings and use the brain you were given for something valuable.  Lift others up rather than tearing them down over sex. race, religion, beliefs, wealth and ownership.  There is nothing in this collective illusion that can be truly owned but our own actions, our own thoughts and our own breath.  That’s it.  Anything else is fragile and trivial.  

Money is a tool for controlling everything.  There was a time when people lived in cooperation with one another, tribes moved across the landscape with the changing seasons and food sources.  They didn’t give a fig about entertainment because sheer survival consumed their days and entertainment was simple games and watching children play.  This was less than 300 years ago.  Think about that for a minute.  No, America hasn’t had an immigration problem for thousands of years as some idiots in power have suggested, the words carelessly slipping through lips that only know lies-and not even intelligent, well-planned lies.  If this were true then the very founding of this country as is written in our history books was the ‘biggliest’ immigration problem of all, the very Mother of Immigration problems.  At what point did our ancestors decide that they had a right to come here, rape the land and murder the vast majority of its indigenous tribes but they were so special that everyone else had to obey the new rules set up by men in power?  The very idea of possession and suppression is what drives conflict, wars and murder. It was the very reason they left their own countries to forge a new life on a strange continent. 

Forget about ‘making America great again’.  How about making life realistic again, learning a new and improved value system based on the rights of all human beings and not the rights of those who wield the most power which equates to the most money?  What we have right now is a very frightening free-for-all with no real plan for improving or sustaining life on this magnificent blue and green globe that we are fortunate enough to live upon.  So, here I am once more, turning to observe a moment of simple life unfolding as Nature continues its purpose.  The natural world is consistent, unfailing and tenacious.  It is beautiful.  

We watched our “Gertie” from the moment she and Daffy the King of the Lake began this journey of life’s cycle to the moment her eggs hatched this past week.  It was a glorious moment in an otherwise bleak time for me.  Always Nature gives me hope, joy and the will to go on.  Here are some of the photos I got.  The new ducklings had their maiden voyage on the little lake yesterday and are off and running in their own race to survive with Mother keeping a close eye out for hawks, big turtles and other predators that exist as part of the chain of existence.  As I see it, at this point, we humans are the weakest link in that chain.  I hope that changes before the dream collapses in on itself.  Stay safe my friends. 




Daddy Daffy




Mama counting eggs last week. There were 16!




When I checked on the nest Thursday, she stepped off so I could get some nice photos.  



Various stages of hatching were occuring


So brand new the eyes were not ready


Siblings 


I’ll keep watch over you li’l Sis...


“I did well, didn’t I?”

Yes you did, dear Gertie, yes you did......
I will take advantage of submitting this post to the #SoCS prompt always so kindly provided by Linda Hill. Read more of her work and meet fellow bloggers at Linda Hill SoCS


I miss watching Sesame Street with my little ones..

Stay safe. Love and Light everyone.  Be kind to everyone you meet for each of us has our own challenges.   A smile, kind word or gift goes a long way.  



6 comments:

  1. Things are surely in a mixed-up state these days, Cheryl. Counting our blessings, searching for the good and forgiving are all essential. I love the photos. I hope the babies beat the odds and thrive.

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    1. Me too Dan. They are quite resilient but at the same time accepting of the natural order of things.

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  2. "There is nothing in this collective illusion that can be truly owned but our own actions, our own thoughts and our own breath."

    This is the most important comment I have read today. Stay safe, my dear friend.

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  3. Cheryl, I am very late in reading this and sorry I wasn't here to offer my hugs and support when you were having a bad week.

    Preach sister. Everything you said is what I want to scream to the people of this country every day. It's mind-numbing, tiring and disappointing that people cannot behave in a way that supports others and their well-being, and constantly argue over their own false truths. I hope and pray that there is a change of leadership in November and that we can begin heading toward truth, love, acceptance and all of the qualities that make us better human beings.

    Love and hugs!

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    1. Hi Mary! There are no late arrivals here. I’m happy to see you and know your thoughts on the current state of things. I keep hope in my heart and am forging ahead. It is what we must do. Hugs and Thank you!

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