Unity

I stood under a madrone tree to get the best angle for a photo. A man walking by read this as a good time to talk trees. So we started. I mentioned writing about the madrone, and he took off in a talk about the trees of the cemetery where we were standing. Suddenly he stopped his flow and interjected that my dog should be on a leash. My dog was on a leash, but it was on the ground with my foot on it as I was watching the tree and not her. I looked down at her, she was 20 inches from my foot and still as a statue. 

I said: she is on a leash.

Oh! He said. I didn’t see it.

Me: It’s ok, we do try to mind the rules.

Him: Yes, that is good, we all have to lead by example. 

Me: Yes. We do. 

And then we talked about trees again and we moved past dog leash rules and it was very pleasant.

It was not this way with my last leash conversation when I asked a man to leash his loose dog, which had gone after my dog. He said F%#$ off! And this was Christmas day. I am not highly religious but this seemed in poor taste. It was before COVID-19, before people started to care a little more about other people. 

You never know what you’re going to get with people and that is why many avoid them but I don’t think that is the answer. 

There is an element of surprise.

I was stopped and watching a bird sing at the top of its lungs when two people were passing and one looked at the bird then looked at me and smiled with amazement saying, “where do they get all that hope?”

I stopped doing acupuncture sometime last month to limit exposing and exposure. Acupuncture can’t be urgent enough right now. I didn’t go into urgent medicine. I went into calm medicine. 

Some of us are beetles upside down on our backs, legs twirling in the air. For any number of reasons.

With upside-down beetles in trouble, you can tip them back onto their feet and moments later they have again overturned and are in the exact same kind of trouble. This used to infuriate me as a kid, trying to save them. Use your legs! Obviously it is more complicated than it looks.

We also have a lot of ants in the community chain, moving bundles, righting beetles, cleaning floors. Or, if you prefer, you can be a bee. Buzzing in unison to the tune of your hive, in service of the greater good.

We all get turns at being beetles, ants, and bees. Let’s be bees today. 

The point is, we have to have the patience to be here, do the work, suffer each other, and suffer ourselves. With that in place, and taken care of, we can notice the fun stuff too. On my walk yesterday I passed a singing man doing a wood sculpture in his front yard. I saw guys playing badminton in the back yard. I heard a drum set rocking a few houses away. I saw a lone squeezebox player walking along the bike path. 

In terms of employment, I am considering becoming a squirrel crossing guard. I’m fine with entry level work, at the ground level. Their routes continue, there are nuts to find, there are rose hips to harvest for the squirrel apothecary. I saw one straddled in the middle of a rose bush, gathering needed herbal supplies.

I might also do some side consulting on the art of hanging clothes out to dry. 

Back to people, at this point, I have noticed a need. I’ve decided we all need little sticks with a small square or circle attached, like you use at auctions…. and when someone gets into over talking, the other politely lifts the stick up into the air. 

With this action, the other is trained to shut the mouth and stop talking, allowing the taking turns in communication. Otherwise, we have too many who bleed out with words, eventually numbing the room into a stupor.  

Keep it up, help the beetles, guide the squirrels, leash your dog, take care of each other. Or just pick one of these, that’s enough. Stick together right now, in solidarity, at a respectful distance.