Category: kindness

Rediscover Normal

None of what we are witnessing today is normal. While not new, this rise of authoritarian rule; this acceptance of “to the victor goes the spoils” and this “might is right” are far from normal. The legacies of misogyny, racism and capitalism and their hold on this country and countries around the world are also not new and not normal. They are defaults that we have accepted.

This hijacking of human individuality is an old story. Divide and conquer works well on those who have forgotten who they are. Ideologies and beliefs hold a grip on us and choke our will to be human. We’re trading creativity for robotic ease, and sacrificing compassion and empathy to fit into a culture that no longer cares. None of this is normal.

Kindness is normal. Benevolence is normal. Working for the betterment of everyone – with appreciation for those who have come before us and laying a good foundation for those who will come after. That is normal.

Racism, transphobia and hatred towards Queer people are symptoms of those who have forgotten their humanity. The lack of dignity displayed by the dominant culture is vile and unworthy. And definitely not normal. Stop accepting it as such. Find your uniqueness and celebrate it. Flaunt it. Discover the depths of your humanity and savor it. We are built for this, not for senseless suffering.

Decades ago, I knew an old woman who had led a turbulent life. Yet with a glint in her eye, she told me she planted roses wherever she had lived to leave a legacy of beauty there. She triumphed. That is human. That is normal.

Leave your legacy. Touch this world and those around you with love. Plant the seeds of kindness and dignity and even if you do not live to see them sprout, know that they will.

Rose buds Photo: JLPC / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Staying Human

Life sometimes takes turns that require decisive attention and action.  When you have chickens, you can count on it.

We have free range chickens, really free range. They lay eggs in the darndest places and then the game of hide and seek is on. Because if we don’t find them, a predator will. And of course, there are hens who trick us and find a way to sit on five to fifteen eggs that we hadn’t found. We figure this out when the hen doesn’t make it back to the coop at night. And then the hunt is on, this time with a dog kennel in tow. 

One hen had been sitting on eggs inside a kennel for way too long, but she wouldn’t give up. We knew the eggs could not be viable, but her insistence made us slip another few eggs under her. One determined fellow finally made it out of the shell, which, from what I can tell, is no easy feat. The mama is completely devoted to its presence and it is a delight to watch.

And of course, there was the hen who decided to roost inside the coop high on the rafters. Every day we looked for a chick that might have fallen, but this mom was on it. Two chicks hatched and somehow landed softly. Mama hen took them outside and with little coaching walked them into a tiny coop set up for them. A couple eggs that had been left behind in the rafter were put near her. One never knows if the hen will accept an egg, but this mama ever so gently used her beak to pull them under her belly and into the warmth required to hatch. And voila, by morning there were four little chicks parading in the coop. 

But wait, there’s more in this busy week. Another hen didn’t come home and a storm was on the way. We had scoped out a nest of eggs and sure enough she was there, stone faced and determined. Luckily, we have many dog kennels. She was scooped up along with her fifteen eggs just before the all-night rain. In a few weeks, another brood will be enjoying their freedom.

There is joy in witnessing their effort, determination, and caring. They are brilliantly who they are meant to be and when permitted they teach us compassion and resourcefulness. So we’ll keep learning from and with them; staying sane and being human.

Enjoy the miracles that aren’t really miracles, my friends. It is simply life unfolding.

Just One Drop

The robins have returned unaware of the snow dump and deep freeze that would welcome them back to Wisconsin. I watched one perched high on a tree. It seemed he was trying to catch a bit of sun that was beginning to break the darkness. Feathers puffed, I wondered if we shared the same bewilderment of a world gone mad. I took birdseed and water to their haunts, hoping to help them ward off the bitterness, and realizing I was helping myself as well. 

What can be done when leaders and echo chambers continually batter us with ignorance and beat the drums of war? What can be done? One drop of kindness in whatever way means a lot.

The doubt maker is busy spinning dark thoughts and doom. But the sun has already begun to warm the air and the birds are flocking to grab whatever nourishment they can, as they sing… Yes, they still sing in spite of it all. 

Vermonters are picking up where Minnesotans left off as the resistance to the inhumanity of ICE is growing. A video of a person solo dancing in front of a line of ICE showed the dancer testing ICE’s inability to join in or at least to laugh. They couldn’t do either. Whatever you do, do not surrender your ability to be joyful. 

Grateful for the good news that the majority of people are opposing the grotesque display of military might and loss of life extending from Palestine and now into Lebanon and Iran. 

Every awakening is cause to celebrate. It is in those drops of clarity that the river of kindness will again flow into peace. 

The sun will warm us once again and while we still breathe, we have choice. 

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