So many great and inspiring things have come to me the past couple of days… a young girl (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RVjSlvTI5o&feature=youtu.be) issued a drum challenge to the drummer from Foo Fighters – she is incredible in her own right, but the guy actually responded – it was an amazing video drum off to watch – He is also the guy that posted a video recently in support of teachers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNEhhDT–sc

The usual cat and pup videos with animals showing us how great life is, in case we forget during these turbulent times. So many people standing up for what they believe, helping other people be stronger, be healthier, get thru these times by binding together and helping each other rise. Its awe inspiring the power of the human spirit.

So many friends have shared their personal struggles with me – not just the ones of that are red hot category six ones on everyone’s radar, but just because the world is blowing up doesn’t mean that individual struggles are any less real. I’m so awe struck by how strong the people in my life are – how they are facing adversity, personal health, financial, family, life struggles and overcoming them – especially during these times. Life hasn’t stopped being life just because of all the struggles we are sharing.

I remember in the early stages of the pandemic having conversations with my nurse family members about the medical field, and the fact that “shutting” everything down was a way to “help” them develop and build protocols and procedures for handling these things…. Healthcare as a whole, those individuals work best under a set guideline – under routines and standard ops, its not to say they are any less creative people, but creativity flourishes best in a safe and stable environment. By shutting things down, it helped slow thing down a tiny bit to allow them to get a brief moment to build a “do this” and “don’t do this” type of thing – I recall the conversations with them about how several times a day the “protocol” would be changing, and how stressful this made things for them…. now that thing are … all be it less than ideal – but they have been under a rhythm for a bit – so they have a guideline for standard handling of “things” its alot less stressful, and that allows them to be more human – to breath a tiny bit easier. — Their struggles aren’t gone, but there is a minor tad of normality that allows it to feel less stressful. Thats somewhat the same with the rest of us…. working and thriving in our “duck and cover” type of situation.

Its just a wonder to me, to hear about the truly remarkable and creative things people are doing – to “thrive” in these conditions. Its like the times when you walk down the street and you see flowers budding up from the cracks in the sidewalk… finding a way to flourish even in rock hard environments.

While it is a tremendously challenging time to be alive and fighting the big C – its also such an empowering time. Hearing the successes, and the attempts to succeed of others is just my own personal challenge to work harder, and fight harder, to find ways to improve myself, and my environment.

I don’t have alot of resource right now, but I do feel blessed that I’m able to help a little bit in giving random message hugs to my loved ones, both the blood sort and the heart adopted sort.

I watched more of those episodes – Uncomfortable conversations with a black man – Emmanuel Acho is so timely in his message, so much trying to build a solid foundation towards a constructive solution by using the olive branch as a means to connect rather than a means to harm. The latest video was of a family – white parents that had adopted black and interracial children as well as their biological white son. Watching the children – all preteen to young teen age – interact and express their own fears and anxiety for their lives in our world, is both frightening and awe inspiring. These are the reasons that something must be done, its time for all the minor bread crumb steps of the past hundred years to finally resolve into a better world. A world where every human is able to feel safe, healthy and happy. I don’t have ideas about how to make this happen; in my normal fashion I have spent weeks mauling over in my head the angles of this problem. Perpetual visibility seems like the first and foremost solution, so I will continue to ponder, and continue to pray and continue to do my best to not be part of this problem anymore.

I’m pretty excited to have a house guest for the next couple of days, it will be an amazing opportunity to relax and enjoy harmony and reconnection. Plus I always get so excited about having someone to use the guest bed I got for my meditation room. Its only seen two other visitors so far, and I know this poor bed is lonely to have more folks try it out. There maybe something pumpkin in my future, I am just hoping for enough activation energy so that it doesn’t end up being those evil pumpkin muffins from Starbucks, but rather something I mold and craft. Have to build my own pumpkin things so I too can show the best sides of my humanity.