Momentum..Despite the Ruffled Feathers and Broken Heart


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A little boy died today and I thought about his death and the pain the family must be experiencing and, well, my ramblings about living connected and living wholoctavely, didn’t seem so important anymore. I worked my usual job, but I didn’t write when my time was my own. Instead, I continued to think about death and life and priorities. I let myself slide and lose momentum.

My husband drove by two geese in the road last week. He was awestruck by the dedication they exhibited, standing like statues in the busy road. They ignored all traffic as their flying buddy, their spouse, their brother, who knows what the relationship(s) were exactly, but that of a fellow goose struggling to finish it’s dying breath smooshed against a busy asphalt road after being struck by a vehicle. They stayed loyal and connected to their pal. I was relieved I wasn’t there to witness it for I too saw a seagull vigil once. His feet were planted firmly on the yellow line of I-95. His body was swaying, his feathers were ruffling wildly in the swift breezes as cars sped past at 80 mph. He wavered, but never his eyes. His lifelong sweetheart was dead in the road, flattened beyond hope. He knew it, but he wouldn’t leave. His life was no longer important. He lost his momentum and he stared and he swayed. My heart ached so badly for that one seagull, that when I arrived at my destination, which happened to be a polish festival, of all things, I couldn’t bare to hear the accordions, or smell the kielbasa and kraut. The laughter and colorful dresses and all the gaiety seemed so wrong to me. How could people be celebrating when there’s pain in the world?

There’s a website: http://www.romans322.com/daily-death-rate-statistics.php

This website posts real time deaths in America and the cause of each death: abortion, heart disease, cancer, tobacco, obesity, medical errors, stroke, lower respiratory disease, accident, hospital associated infection, alcohol, alzheimer’s disease, influenza/pneumonia, kidney failure, blood infection, suicide, drunk driving, unintentional poisoning, drug abuse, homicide, prescription drug overdose, murder by gun, texting while driving, pedestrian, drowning, fire related, malnutrition, domestic violence, smoking in bed, falling out of bed, killed by a falling tree, struck by lightning, mass shooting and spontaneous combustion. I am busy writing so I didn’t watch the deaths flash each time they were posted, but in the short time it has taken me to write this post, I have seen suicide flash twice and abortion flash too many times to count. This is enough to ruffle anyone’s feathers and let them slide and lose momentum.

So yes, the little boy died today, along with others, many others in various towns, states, countries and from various causes.  More will die locally and worldwide before I even publish this post, and more will die while I sleep tonight.  Eventually it will be my time to die as well. But for those whose time has not yet come, mourn and grieve and remember those that have left us, but remember to also live and to cherish the memories and to value what you experience and what you know in your heart.

Remember to write and keep your momentum, despite the ruffled feathers and glazed over stare that inevitably haunts us for various reasons in various locations and at various times of our lives.

Hope


“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.”

–Anne Lamott

In many cases, just getting up and out of your own pity party, will bring the light  of hope out of your darkness, but you’re not a little child that can merely smile and yell “ta da” and have adoring parents clap at your very existence.  The world can be a harsh parent that will make you work for your room and board.  What are you contributing?  What are you sharing? What are you learning that will ultimately be shared? Are you working and if so, at what? It’s not the job that matters, it’s the attitude and intent of what you’re doing on this planet at this moment in time.  What are your intentions for today?  What about tomorrow?  Do you have a realistic plan to succeed?  Can you break it down or do you need assistance?  Yes, the dawn will come eventually, will you be ready?  Start now.

Marilyn Monroe in the Full moon


While talking on the phone with my father the other night, he urged me to go outside to see if I saw what he saw.  He claimed Marilyn Monroe could be seen in the full moon.  “She’s looking left, and her hair is full and wavy.  The shadowy greys are her mouth…just like a black and white shot I saw on a poster once” he said.   After our phone conversation I went outside and while I thought I saw the wavy hair part…I couldn’t detect the facial features…at all, but the idea of my father seeing Marilyn Monroe made me smile.  He met Sophia Loren one time because he built a bridge that she had to walk across as part of her promotion entrance at a mall in south Florida many,many years ago.  He smiled so wide when he talked about Sophia that night at the dinner table.  We can all get mesmerized by beauty, but what really touches our heart and soul is when we interact with different age groups and different cultures, different perspectives.  Wholoctave Living is seeing the beauty that bubbles up from within and learning from it. What lies hidden in all of us, when shared, can open new ideas for the people that listen.  I’ll call my dad back and talk about that poster he once saw and where he was at that time in his life. I hope I have the wisdom to listen.

Holi Festival


I learned something new today.

I was trying to park and noticed many people in the street and parking areas…just loitering around “because of the beautiful weather”, is what I thought… I also thought….”not the best place people”…as visions of being back in Las Vegas popped into my head.  I used to live in Las Vegas and people just seemed to be oblivious to traffic there…even in grocery store parking lots, etc.  People wandered where they wanted, not even caring that drivers were trying to get through…it was maddening…

As I got out of my car today, a couple of the children ran up to me..excited and proud to show off their painted faces…they were bright red and smeared with reckless abandon.  I smiled and commented on how wonderful they looked…then I glanced over to all the adults in the road and saw they were actually in a loose circle and had painted faces as well.  They were all dressed in brightly colored clothing.  They appeared to be Indian.  I smiled and continued.

March 19 is Holika Dahan

March 20 (2011) is Holi (Dhulandi)

Holi is celebrated at the end of winter on the last full moon day of the lunar month.

Holi Festival is joyous celebrations of going into the street in big groups smearing each other w/ bright colored powders and water.  The dance of colors is also an expression of this event.  There are bonfires the previous night.

 

I encourage you to explore the stories behind this celebration as they were interesting as well.  Anyone wanting to correct me on what I’ve posted, please do so as I’m just reporting what I briefly discovered online after my experience today .  I would love to hear from Holi Festival participants.  I believe it is a Hindu Holiday.