Something like a hootenanny. Hi, thanks for reading and please sign up at my new site where you can here me read and sing along with this post! Just go here: https://maryannpetersen.substack.com/ Here is the post without me reading and singing: I just rode my bike to a street fair to fight capitalism. Promote socialism.… Continue reading Kum Ba Yah
Category: community
Neighborhood party
She said, this is what it’s about. Community. Vote for your community, she said. I said, yeah, totally. It was 44 degrees and raining most of the time and also muddy. Still, people showed up at this neighborhood party that was advertised on sign posts. I walked over with a couple poems in my back… Continue reading Neighborhood party
Dynamic situations
I made a photo booth without walls to mindfully receive images of happy birds landing into the frame by choice. I fired up the Canon Rebel XSi with a zoom lens and braced myself against a tree. The camera would not focus on the subject because I was impatient and had not allowed enough time… Continue reading Dynamic situations
Lower the temp; raise the vibe
I think one reason mask wearing became controversial is because it was an act of respect and half of Americans didn’t want to. It was inconvenient. To be asked to put a mask over your blowhole to resist spraying others nearby was viewed as so totally unreasonable it actually got people killed. I’ve come up… Continue reading Lower the temp; raise the vibe
People
While Rome burned, people probably compared lentil soup recipes. Just before the Nazi’s took hold, neighbors may have made sauerkraut together and sidestepped political discussions. In current day, this version could be sharing dog pics in mixed groups as the earth melts. Maybe we’ve never been that good at engaging with various opinions, openly sharing… Continue reading People
Give an hour
The universal switchboard is lighting up and I’m taking a lot of calls. The message came through quickly, as they do, you just have to pay attention. I happened to hear it. It said, give an hour of help toward someone. Don’t hesitate. Act on this. Need help? I’ll give you an hour. Sign up… Continue reading Give an hour
Flotsam & Jetsam
If you don’t know what to do, pick up litter at the beach. It’s never the wrong move. At one point I am alone by the surf and this is where loud singing is released. I went to Heceta beach in Florence to pick up trash and I remembered a Mary Oliver poem that goes… Continue reading Flotsam & Jetsam
Misinformation
Misinformation is like junk food. Once you get hooked, nothing else compares. It hits all your immediate imbalances like sugar and salt and a sense of righteous satisfaction lands. It seeps into the synapsis that please the unwieldy parts of the brain. Brain loves anything that backs up brain’s already held opinions. I ask people… Continue reading Misinformation
Emotionally curious
I walked quickly by a chatty neighbor’s house but he popped out his door at the last moment- “hey Mary Ann!” I was caught and thought argh, no, not now, I’m busy. I stopped, backtracked, turned around to face him and noticed he had bruises and stitches on his face. He remembers nothing but being… Continue reading Emotionally curious
Temple talks
What is a temple? A consecrated place. Consecrate is to make sacred or holy. Temporal means earth time, secular, not of heaven, a limited experience. Is it the place or the ritual that is holy? How do we discover sacredness? In more practical terms, a temple is also defined as a space for observation marked… Continue reading Temple talks