 Have you had a good rant today? It seems wherever I look these days someone is going on about the abysmal state we presently live in. Growing up we were told we were the good guys, the reasonable, educated ones, the leaders... How's that working for us? Oh, what a mess we have made on our watch! I am not here to be political or to have any neat and tidy solutions, I just want to shed light on something I have noticed with great regularity lately. We have become a country of sheep.  The media is chockablock full of talking heads, all spouting views that instead of being calm, intelligent and rational, ignite and divide. Don't get me wrong, bring on the talking heads, the more views the better, however, how we each deal with them is the real problem. When has taking sides become so important? This all seems like high school to me, the need to fit in, bestowing your allegiance to one group, or a way of thinking, to be accepted. What happened to thinking for oneself? How about using the God-given talents we are all have, to form a unique perspective allowing us to assess the situation and work with others, as opposed to fighting with them. It takes a strong person to stand alone and not join an angry mob. It takes a strong person to take the effort to educate oneself from numerous outlets, formulate your own opinion, and not follow the masses.  Sheep have a strong instinct to follow. Back in 2005 a story hit the airwaves about 450 ill-fated sheep. The sheep died as they followed each other off a cliff in the pastoral town of Gevas, Turkey. The fallen sheep plummeted 50 feet, creating a downy pile of carcasses which allowed the fallen stragglers to walk away unharmed. Sheep are social creatures, as we are. Flocking is ingrained in the breed with the notion there is safety in numbers: sound familiar? But are we sheep? More importantly, do you want to be the surviving straggler who walks away unscathed, whose only job is to bury the carcasses?
Live in color, Abby The attached photos are from an 2009 excellent adventure to New Zealand with my sister. I knew the photos would come in handy one day. Happy Holidays
0 Comments
 How do you know when winter has arrived? During the holiday season, it's easy. We watch the Rockefeller Center tree go up, or see the department store windows explode with gold and crystals in celebration of whatever seasonal holiday you may choose to recognize (how's that for being politically correct). My indicator for the arrival of winter is when my pond forms its first delicate coating of ice.  The summer's pond is an epicenter for the native flora and fauna, all jostling for their piece of this pristine landscape. It's abuzz with fish, birds, turtles, and assorted varments that slink from the woods in the hopes of snaring a tasty morsel. Then November comes.  This is a magical time. The turtles somehow know to disappear into their winter dens. The fish begin their sedentary existence in the depths of the water, while the ducks and geese have all flown south. What remains is an uninvited stillness that begins to descend upon the pond with stealth-like precision. The forever shifting surface of the summer's water succumbs to quietude as temperatures drop; while the chill of winter silently extinguishes any visible sign of life. Slowly, without fanfare, one molecule of water at a time, the surface beings to solidify, encasing the once dynamic facade into a veneer of glistening ice. The pond becomes bound in a suspended animation, forced into a frozen dormancy.  Nature is constantly shape shifting, changing and evolving, just as you are. Take the time to immerse yourself in your natural world, for if you blink, you could miss these magical transformations, including your own.
Live in color, Abby |