Immigration and Appreciation

Another  rhodie photo from the Neurologist's

In a brief moment of solitude (daughter and #1 are visiting the pet store and #2 is napping) as I listen to Bob Dylan (Pandora.com thanks) I think about what is important.  It is so strange how it is different for everyone and yet it is the same for everyone.  If you stand really close to your choices they all look different and if you back off and take the longer view they grow more similar.

Bob D. just sang that "both of our father's were slaves" and I find this true of the human situation.  We are slaves to the tyranny of human life in so many important ways.  At the same time, as humans we have the spiritual and mental self-awareness to stand back and see our commonalities if we care to.  Commonalities I observe..., we have the same needs for the most part, we have the same tendencies (often negative), and we yearn for the same things if you look and listen closely.

 The adults in the house watched a fascinating and moving documentary on HBO last night (sorry I didn't catch the name) about new citizens naturalized into the U.S.  It was amazing how often the topic of freedom came out as the main attraction for these new citizens.  Freedom to express their opinion, freedom of worship choice, freedom to pursue improvement and happiness.  Another topic that was often repeated was how much we take for granted here.  It is so trite to say "We don't appreciate what we have"!  One lady expressed it in a new and interesting way.  When she was asked what she didn't like about the U.S.  She said she didn't think she would ever get used to people complaining about things here.  Another amazing comment was from a man who recounted when he saw someone putting socks on their dog to protect its feet, he realized that some people cared that much for their pets.  He said "Their are many people in my country who would be willing to come here and trade places with that dog."

Makes me determined to look around and see things that are gifts and blessings that I am taking for granted.  Makes me want to find someone I can help have a better life.  Makes me aware that I have so many dimensions of freedom in my life- spiritual, physical, social and societal, cultural.  Thank you God and everyone in my past and present who has faithfully contributed to improvement, let me make it better for others and those who come after.

Craft Night and Creativity

I have more project ideas in my head than could be completed in several lives, however I suffer from lack of focus and too many options. So some friends and I started a weekly craft night. If someone can't come each week, it is no big deal. I fix a simple, cheap meal and they bring additions and we get together at my house. I host it because I don't have to drive to their homes and drag my craft supplies with me. Cooking is no big deal, I make it cheap and simple. Baked potatoes, beans, salad- easy simple stuff. Sometimes we sit at the kitchen table. Often, after we eat, we go to the “craft room”, a small office/bedroom that has been re-purposed since the kids moved out.

In this incredibly crowed space we work on our respective projects. We don't all do the same thing, although seeing someone else make something has certainly inspired me to attempt some of their things. We listen to Pandora, look up artworks and galleries on the Internet, watch You Tube how-tos and talk about whatever. My friends are a creative lot and each one inspires me and at least once a week I know I will be making progress on gifts or things to sell in my flea market space.

Etsy and Pinterest have both capitalized on this approach. Craft night is a simple format. It is a good community builder and a more in-depth way to get to know people. It is cheap entertainment, productive work, and a great learning environment. Furthermore, in a few weeks I know I will actually finish one of those projects I've been dreaming about. Give it a try.