Yesterday I found myself unexpectedly home from work, as Maine schools were closed "out of an abundance of caution" because a mass shooter was still at large somewhere. After listening to press conferences and press questions and hearing our familiar newscasters out of their normally very controlled element trying to fill the time given them as they were tasked with giving us "breaking news" I had had enough - and took to the woods. The stillness was only interrupted by chipmunks and squirrels warning everyone that an invader was present. It was a soul-restoring walk, and the lines from a couple of songs were in the front of my mind - "Surrendering to the Mystery" and "I'm just resting in the arms of the Great Wide Open" (Wailin' Jennys and Mary Chapin Carpenter - thank you!) as I just walked and heard the quiet and breathed. I'll take that stillness back to work with me today, and since the shooter is still "at large" I will refer back to those woods feelings and thoughts when I'm tempted to listen to the anxious ones that try to creep in.
As Percy Granger said to Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: "You fellas got to learn to RE-lax! " Immediately upon which he was shot by two banditos.
What I'm trying to say, in other words, is, this is "the U.S of A" (to quote Percy again). Never let your guard down. Who knows who might be in those woods? Perhaps ex-marines with too many deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan carrying assault rifles . It can't happen here? It just did.
Why do we wait until the twilight of our life to fully appreciate the spirituality of this beautiful world we live in. I could have used this sentiment when I was 30.
Probably because mid-life has all the air and time sucked out of it with the urgencies of jobs, family, ambition. Certainly we could all use a dose of Mother Nature’s nurturing each day
he is a relic and the next election cycle will put him and us out of our misery. probably a few politicans ready to step in his place ie santos but trump will linger in our minds for quite a while. may actually improve out political situation. can you imagine someone saying in a few years..."he is just like trump". what a put down!
A beautiful hymn, then to walk and breathe in gratitude for trees, and yes, decent people. My college roommate is now the director of counseling at Bates College. He says that students and staff are hunkered down getting comfort from one another. We need each other. The storm will pass.
"The storm will pass" as storms do, but the REASON for the relentless and horrific storms will not pass and nobody should tolerate even one more smug, sadistic iteration from those with the power to DO SOMETHING whose knees jerk with their "thoughts and prayers," "not guns, hearts of people," "people need guns to protect themselves....." and other weaponry obscenity.
If the "new speaker" who, as Joy Reid said, is "not a fan of separation of church and state," thinks people need guns to protect themselves, what does he think the people who were simply hanging out in the bowling alley should have been carrying? Those war-zone assault rifles? Bazookas? Flame throwers? Should every American be carrying a machine gun, just in case someone with a "violent heart" walks into the bowling alley, diner, church, grocery store?
Good Lord. When are we going to actually DEMAND that the representatives REPRESENT us?!!
A recent survey showed that 49% of respondents were unhappy with the state of the country, but only 12% could explain exactly what state the country was in or why they were unhappy about it.
Dr. Olsen? Is that you? From SCC? Or is (as is probably the case) this another Nancy Olsen. Not to be conflated with Ollie Olsen. Nor with Ollie Torgalson. Neither with Snori Snorilson nor Sigi Mangnusun.
I can't tell the Swedes from the Norwegians from the Icelanders, don't ya know?
Do any of you Swedes have some Ludafisk I might be able to borrow?
Jim Jordan and a Matt Gaetz were cited as modern reincarnations of Beavis and Butthead in a cartoon I saw on Facebook recently. I thought it was an apt comparison.
There is beauty among the dismal, There is hope among tragedy. There is calm where a storm has passed. So look for beauty, have hope and seek the calm aftermast.
Mr. K.? Did you just say you're supporting a candidate because of her good looks? Because you have just made a few DNC-approved, Washington-linked image consultants very smug indeed.
I like to think that you didn't mean to describe the people whom you meet along Lake Street as "foreigners." -- Truly cringe-worthy. As you know, your Scandinavian grandparents, and my Lithuanian ones, were once at least economic refugees, and were looked down upon as "foreigners" by the people who got here ahead of them.
How about "foreign-born"? I spoke admiringly of them, saying that we can learn more from them about the world we live in than we can learn from going to London, Paris, Rome, and being luxury tourists.
In the forties and fifties in Nordeast Minneapolis (a "melting pot" anyway) we had a lot of "DPs" --Displaced persons -- mostly from Latvia and Germany.
Yesterday I found myself unexpectedly home from work, as Maine schools were closed "out of an abundance of caution" because a mass shooter was still at large somewhere. After listening to press conferences and press questions and hearing our familiar newscasters out of their normally very controlled element trying to fill the time given them as they were tasked with giving us "breaking news" I had had enough - and took to the woods. The stillness was only interrupted by chipmunks and squirrels warning everyone that an invader was present. It was a soul-restoring walk, and the lines from a couple of songs were in the front of my mind - "Surrendering to the Mystery" and "I'm just resting in the arms of the Great Wide Open" (Wailin' Jennys and Mary Chapin Carpenter - thank you!) as I just walked and heard the quiet and breathed. I'll take that stillness back to work with me today, and since the shooter is still "at large" I will refer back to those woods feelings and thoughts when I'm tempted to listen to the anxious ones that try to creep in.
As Percy Granger said to Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: "You fellas got to learn to RE-lax! " Immediately upon which he was shot by two banditos.
What I'm trying to say, in other words, is, this is "the U.S of A" (to quote Percy again). Never let your guard down. Who knows who might be in those woods? Perhaps ex-marines with too many deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan carrying assault rifles . It can't happen here? It just did.
Why do we wait until the twilight of our life to fully appreciate the spirituality of this beautiful world we live in. I could have used this sentiment when I was 30.
Probably because mid-life has all the air and time sucked out of it with the urgencies of jobs, family, ambition. Certainly we could all use a dose of Mother Nature’s nurturing each day
Nothing is scarier this Halloween weekend than to think of the elephant in the room getting back in the White House!
he is a relic and the next election cycle will put him and us out of our misery. probably a few politicans ready to step in his place ie santos but trump will linger in our minds for quite a while. may actually improve out political situation. can you imagine someone saying in a few years..."he is just like trump". what a put down!
A beautiful hymn, then to walk and breathe in gratitude for trees, and yes, decent people. My college roommate is now the director of counseling at Bates College. He says that students and staff are hunkered down getting comfort from one another. We need each other. The storm will pass.
"The storm will pass" as storms do, but the REASON for the relentless and horrific storms will not pass and nobody should tolerate even one more smug, sadistic iteration from those with the power to DO SOMETHING whose knees jerk with their "thoughts and prayers," "not guns, hearts of people," "people need guns to protect themselves....." and other weaponry obscenity.
If the "new speaker" who, as Joy Reid said, is "not a fan of separation of church and state," thinks people need guns to protect themselves, what does he think the people who were simply hanging out in the bowling alley should have been carrying? Those war-zone assault rifles? Bazookas? Flame throwers? Should every American be carrying a machine gun, just in case someone with a "violent heart" walks into the bowling alley, diner, church, grocery store?
Good Lord. When are we going to actually DEMAND that the representatives REPRESENT us?!!
A recent survey showed that 49% of respondents were unhappy with the state of the country, but only 12% could explain exactly what state the country was in or why they were unhappy about it.
I kept raving to my friend: "PHC!, I loved PHC. When it was around it was always PHC!"
My friend grew very quiet and got that somber look on his face.
He said, "Man. I didn't know you did hard drugs?"
Thank you so much for this !
thank you for today's posts always.
Dr. Olsen? Is that you? From SCC? Or is (as is probably the case) this another Nancy Olsen. Not to be conflated with Ollie Olsen. Nor with Ollie Torgalson. Neither with Snori Snorilson nor Sigi Mangnusun.
I can't tell the Swedes from the Norwegians from the Icelanders, don't ya know?
Do any of you Swedes have some Ludafisk I might be able to borrow?
Jim Jordan and a Matt Gaetz were cited as modern reincarnations of Beavis and Butthead in a cartoon I saw on Facebook recently. I thought it was an apt comparison.
I'm so simply grateful that you continue to share with us. Thank you
One more "K" miss Kate and you're getting into hot water...
Just curious, but, could you tell me "what" the Red & White 5 Symbol next to your Profile represents?
I notice a few others have that as well! Possibly, a Paid Subscriber?
Sorry I can't tell you. This is the first time I've commented, so didn't even notice. I am a paid subscriber, I think.
Must be it! In other words, most of us, at least today, aren't!
There is beauty among the dismal, There is hope among tragedy. There is calm where a storm has passed. So look for beauty, have hope and seek the calm aftermast.
I've come to realize that I've been on a lifelong search for beauty.
This column was priceless! Loved it!
Beautifully said, totally true.
Mr. K.? Did you just say you're supporting a candidate because of her good looks? Because you have just made a few DNC-approved, Washington-linked image consultants very smug indeed.
I like to think that you didn't mean to describe the people whom you meet along Lake Street as "foreigners." -- Truly cringe-worthy. As you know, your Scandinavian grandparents, and my Lithuanian ones, were once at least economic refugees, and were looked down upon as "foreigners" by the people who got here ahead of them.
How about "foreign-born"? I spoke admiringly of them, saying that we can learn more from them about the world we live in than we can learn from going to London, Paris, Rome, and being luxury tourists.
In the forties and fifties in Nordeast Minneapolis (a "melting pot" anyway) we had a lot of "DPs" --Displaced persons -- mostly from Latvia and Germany.
Spot-on as usual.
'I admit that I was influenced by her beauty.' You old human you.