Joyful Wrecks: Reflections on living...

No Reason to be a Cynic

Historian Howard Zinn wrote in an article for The Nation, called The Optimism of Uncertainty and I like his words.

"An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places - and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction."

 

Once In a Blue Moon

Did you know that New Years Eve 2009 had the 2^nd full moon of the month, the first one being Dec 2^nd? This is known as a blue moon. The last time this happened on New Year’s Eve was in 1990, 20 years ago. Hence, the expression, once in a blue moon.

 

I have been thinking about this for 2010 and thinking about coincidences, and surprise, and “could have’s” or might have been or almost…the things that surprise us with joy or catch us off guard with grief and sorrow. The unfairness of life, sometimes in our favour and sometimes not and always the mystery. The “not knowing” of what is around the corner.

 

If I think back to January 2000, I would never have imagined being in Calgary, working at Wellspring, living through cancer. My children had not met their mates, Sheila didn’t know Jim, we didn’t know our dear friends John and Meredith yet. Now at this New Year, John along with other dear ones, are no longer here to welcome in 2010. This really is life, this constantly changing whirlwind where we live and breathe and laugh and cry and find our way - birth and death, joy and disappointment, success and failure, forgiveness and gratefulness, celebration and creativity and holding it all together.

 

The truth is that we never know what will happen to change our life. In 2000 I could not have imagined where I am today so who knows what another year or ten will bring, if I’m lucky enough to be around. But if I look at my experience I am filled with thankfulness for all that has been and especially for the people in my life.

 

Good heavens, it is a gift to be alive just for the people. A pension would be nice, but it is the people who count.  

 

 

 I think what I’m getting at is the importance of not waiting for a blue moon to be fully alive and present to the life we have now, whatever that is. One of my favourite Zen teacher’s, John Tarrant, writes about the pity of wasting a good crisis and there seem to be plenty of those; so working, living, learning, contributing, laughing and loving and  even thriving through it all, whatever comes, may be the way of a well-lived life.

 

May 2010 be a year where we say, “bring it on,” whatever it is and we will dive deeply, knowing that we can find, with a little help from our friends, the courage, buoyancy, grace and always the humour to handle what arrives. May this year be the best that it can be, whatever our circumstances.

 

With love, trudy