My Heartsongs

Beyond abstaining from false, divisive, and harsh speech, as well as idle chatter, Right speech seeks to see between the words to the deeper silence of what is really going on. It involves what Rumi terms “Close both eyes to see with the other eye.” It’s a wholesome intention to use words not as weapons but as skillful messengers. Words to build connection rather than alienation, yet grounded in my truth.

Robert Graves, known for his 1929 memoir, Goodbye to All That, detailing his horrific WW I experiences, defined love as “a recognition of another person’s integrity and truth in a way that makes both of you light up when you recognize the quality in the other.” Mystery, wonder, the amazing the unexpected and the incredible, all belong to this world, and love offers up ample helpings of each of these qualities. I believe love is strengthened by three essential practices: affectionate acceptance, benevolent boundaries & conscious communication.

Tolstoy counseled that love is a present activity only, a close cousin to my own perception that love is an action verb, beyond embracing the “no matter whatness” of love. He also muses: “To what extent can I occupy myself with my own affairs and yet be able to serve those I love?” thus striking at the heart of boundaries and balancing self-love with caring for others. 

What price have we paid for the development of consciousness, of having been lifted out of the animal world? This new human element in the story of creation is clearly a mixed bag: our unskillful human behaviors continue. One cannot escape the current feedback of headline horrors: wars, social injustice, climate change forest fires in the West. All consequences of our lack of awareness, despite being conscious of many aspects of how to live a good life.  

Thankfully, the father-knows-best paternal let me decide for you attitude of the worst of physicians – with their inability to listen or be questioned– remains in decline.  It is essential to step up into being your own best advocate. Get educated about whatever mortality reminder is currently in your face, and seek assistance from those you trust.

Prep for the next inevitable wave: now is a good time to get free home tests. https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/testing for info on ordering by mail or picking up at a local pharmacy. Get a supply of good N95 masks, which currently are readily available. Also essential is the pulse oximeter, if you don’t already have one, for monitoring oxygen levels if you become infected. Although Paxlovid, the Pfizer anti-viral, is in somewhat limited supply, that should ease up soon, and it is worth having on hand in my opinion.

Climateandmind.org offers a clearinghouse of sorts with helpful information and myriad resources that address the relationship between climate disruption, human behavior and human experience, including how to talk with young people about climate change in a way that is honest, realistic and age-appropriate. Need some wisdom & encouragement from young people? Just call 707-998-8410 or 707-873-7862 for some joyful life advice from a group of eager elementary school children.

Tectonic sized climate shifts are not lurking on some 30-year distant horizon: they are present here and now, if we are really paying attention. Yet the pace of governmental and bureaucratic change continues to lag, mired down by complex issues, tangled approaches, perfunctory policies and the usual suspects when groups of humans larger than a tribe sized 75 try to get anything done. Structural and systemic change is critical, but so is individual action.

The reality is that We are destroying the planet, not CO2, with the more more of consumer addictions playing an important role in that. What has now been termed Climate Grief and eco anxiety, many are suffering from worry, guilt and sadness about our human capacity for denial and meaningful change.

Resiliency has been defined as the ability to bounce back from adversity, the capacity to cope positively when an individual or family is affected by negative influences and events. I see it as a grounding in oneself and returning to the lovely patch of goodness in one’s own heart. I do believe that the essence of resilience – in both youth and old age – lies in connection.