THE INSPIRATION STATION

On a trip to Portland about 5 years ago I saw a signpost on the street that read: Inspiration Station.  There was a sheet of paper tacked to it that had a quote of some kind and I thought it was such a lovely idea.  I told Hub I wanted one too!  We could put it by the street in front of our house and it would be a nice companion to the Little Library our neighbors across the street had erected.  I love the idea of creating a sense of community for passers-by.

That idea sat unrealized until a couple weeks ago.  I thought of any year, this one was one where inspiration was needed.  I announced I was going  to go to Lowe's and buy some lumber and make my own post and sign.  I had no idea how to do this, so I started looking on the Internet for purchase-able random parts to make manifest the vague image in my head.  This was apparently what it took for Hub to sit up and take notice, likely picturing some monstrosity marking the entrance to our home.  I admit he was probably right. He's much better at this sort of thing than I am.  Thankfully.

He stepped in and said he'd help.  We got down to business and got a clearer idea of what I wanted, went shopping for wood, post, and paint, plexiglass and fixtures. He went right to work with his saw and hammer, I painted when the time was right, he helped with spray painting the letters and assembled and erected the finished product.  We had to pull out an overgrown evergreen and sink the post into concrete at the site we'd chosen, so it was a bit of a chore, but we did it.  

I was amazingly excited and as happy as a kid on Christmas morning!  We called it my early birthday present; I was so grateful for Hub making this happen at long last.  The next morning I sat in my living room, staring out at the sign, just waiting for folks to stop by.  Waiting and waiting and waiting.  I thought they might need a little nudge so I shot an email off to the neighborhood email list announcing the Grand Opening of our Inspiration Station and invited neighbors to drop by for a look.  I got some lovely emails in return.  That afternoon I saw a few people walk by and stop to look and one guy even took a photo!

Since then (two weeks), traffic has been light at best, at least when I'm around to look out the window.  Lots of walkers and joggers and dogs and their people, but very, very few seem to look in the direction of our Inspiration Station or walk up to read the sign.   

Part of the problem is that we live on a narrow street with a sidewalk only on one side -- opposite our sign.  Some folks just walk in the middle of the street, but if they are on the sidewalk they would have to cross over -- no problem, since we have almost no traffic, but oh well, they mostly don't.  Any time I see someone approaching our house I start to try to will them to turn their heads our way.  But they generally do not.  

Here's what I'm observing about humans walking.  On the sidewalk, they generally look in the direction opposite our house, rarely turning toward anything in our direction across the street.  Or, they look down at their feet, never looking up at all!  Or they are looking at their phones as they walk, a skill I have never mastered given my tendency to run into things or fall off curbs when distracted.  Or they will glance, but have no curiosity about what they might see...even if they are being invited to spend a whopping 15 seconds reading something they might find uplifting!!!

Can you tell I'm a wee bit disappointed?  I had so hoped to provide a moment's respite, a moment of whimsy, a moment of reflection.  I had so hoped people would come back often to see the new inspiration I post every few days, perhaps even looking forward to it.  Hub says it's early days....takes awhile to notice and become part of the neighborhood.  I guess. 

Perhaps it's a marketing problem:  I plan now to add a dog water bowl to the stones at the base.  Maybe hang a wreath on the post.  Perhaps leave $20 bills taped to the frame.  

Or maybe the idea is not so much about gathering a crowd as it is to feel a sense of generosity about leaving a silent gift to as many, or as few, as stop to look.  When I look out there, or change the inspiration, I feel joyful, thinking about what Hub and I created together, about giving a gift to my community, about using my photographs and my grandkids' art to create backgrounds for the words of inspiration.   Sure, I'd love others to enjoy it.  And my greatest lesson, which I'm learning every day during the pandemic, is that I cannot expect others to live, love, "be" the same as me.  And that's OK.  I'm learning that only I am responsible for my happiness.  And my little sign makes me happy.

At least, that's the view from here...©

EMBRACE COURAGE

Kauai feels like a long way from Washington DC, not just in miles but in psychic energy.  I read through my news sites and FB feed, I tune into Rachel and the guys on MSNBC and it all feels so distant, less immediate.  The sun shines here, the ocean waves crash, the pool beckons; most people are happy and enjoying their vacations.  Which is real?

Part of this trip for me is to find balance and focus for my life right now.  November 8th was a jolting and overwhelming emotionally devastating experience and nothing that's happened since has helped to assuage that shock and hurt.

I find myself, and others of similarly gentle and sensitive natures, dramatically impacted every single day and infused with a sense of ... dare I say it?... hatred for this president I call 45* (45th Pres.*elected with a minority of the popular vote.)  I simply don't usually hate people; I always try to be empathetic, even if I put some in the "not my type/disagree/don't like" column.  But this guy?  He makes my gut ache, my heart race, my fists clench.  Fight or flight?  FIGHT!  He represents and acts out every single horrible impulse of men who I had hoped had been neutralized by any progress we may have made in the past few decades.  It's as if the monster of misogyny, self-aggrandizement, selfishness, ignorance, and entitlement has arisen and taken over the world.  And he did it with the help of fellow Americans, many of them women, some of whom I love.  The dismay (far too soft a word) I feel is indescribable.

My Mindfulness practices are being put to the test and found wanting.  I'm having trouble meditating and staying in the moment; having trouble being with "what is" and letting go of outcomes; having trouble seeing this world as an Ego-dream and finding the inner transcendent Spirit that is "me/us".

I know people who are able to compartmentalize all of this; to set the state of the nation aside and just  go on with their lives as if nothing has changed, or at least find some psychological respite from it.  I don't seem to be able to do that.

Others live with belief that we make our own reality by what we put out to the Universe.  I get that. My reality right now is that I often feel anger and fear.  I don't want that so I have to find a way to flip those emotions into something their opposite.  Being one who also struggles with depression and anxiety anyway I have a lot of default programming to overcome.  It feels like asking me to magically turn my short, round 66 year old self into a tall, svelte 23 year old supermodel.  (I'll keep you posted on that!)

So, a couple of things hold promise for me.

Hub shared with me a short article about reconsidering Mindfulness, not as an acceptance of all that "is", but as a way of radical discernment.  The author, a practicing Buddhist teacher, opined that the Buddha would be appalled by those who used Mindfulness practices to escape or ignore the calling to make right what is wrong in the world.   Mindfulness, instead, calls us to use our powers of discernment to the greatest good -- to address the inequities that keep some people down and elevate others.  We are called to act for those who cannot; to always find the strength to rise up for the greatest good.  The Buddha, like Jesus, was an outspoken critic of the rich, the status quo.  This really resonated with me.  I have always had a problem with some spirit-seekers who seem to divorce themselves from this world into the blissed out state of self-focus.  Ego-dream or not, I believe our spirits are here for a reason/a lesson; our karma is to figure that out and act upon it to grow spiritually into greater Consciousness.

Then there's Valerie Kaur, Sihk teacher and amazing speaker, whose call to "Seva", or service, is at the very heart of the Sihk religion and of her teachings.  She moves me to tears with her gentle and powerful calls to action.  She says Seva takes courage -- and that "courage" is fear that has said its prayers.  Isn't that beautiful?  It means we don't have to be brave warriors, strong, trained, ready to do battle with the world's wrongs.  We just have to be willing; to say, "please, help me", and then do it.  Do whatever action you are called to do to be of service.  Step into life, with all our of imperfections and qualms.

And keep on, with the discernment anger sharpens and a courage born of fear, we find our voice, our feet, our hearts, over and over again.   Do not look away, hide in denial or disinterest.  We are here.  This is now.  Embrace.

At least, that's the view from here....©

One of my favorite Valerie Kaur talks:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCenwgheIBs

THE SEPARATION IS IN THE PREPARATION

We won.  We dominated.  Vegas had Denver as 2-1/2 point favorites in the Super Bowl.  Final score:  Seattle: 43  Denver: 8.  Shocking and completely unexpected.  Denver with the best NFL offense and MVP veteran quarterback vs. Seattle with the best NFL defense and a bunch of virtual rookies and low draft picks  (our QB in only his second season with the NFL).

There will be gallons of ink (well, terabytes of data) used to break down and analyze the finer points of the game.  But I find inspiration in this quote by Seattle's coach, Pete Carroll:

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

Russell Wilson, our Seahawk QB, says "the separation is in the preparation", meaning hard, tedious, continuous, unrelenting WORK gives the advantage to those who put in the time and develop the habit of seeking excellence.  The reward goes to the one who believes in their inherent gift in whatever they do and constantly seeks to learn and improve.  Wilson also believes in a higher power, recalls and honors the love and encouragement of his late father and mentor, and selflessly checks his ego at the door to let others shine.

I have been taken to task for my recent football posts. Deservedly, perhaps, for finding such pleasure in a game that can cause irreparable injury and debilitating dementia among those who have sustained serious head injuries.  I have no defense of this, only to say that I lay the blame at the feet of the NFL (and coaches and anyone else) who turns a blind eye to a culture that sacrifices players for money and a winning record.

The game itself, however, and the lessons one can learn from sport are not the villains.  Yesterday's game was played cleanly.  There were few penalties for infractions that were "violence"-related; no one was seriously hurt; the win and the loss were between two of the sport's elite teams….and the team that had developed the habit of excellence this year won.

All of us have a gift.  There are many, many ways in which we can be thwarted in life; many things beyond our control.  But I am inspired today by a bunch of guys on a football team who believed in their talent, worked hard to develop it, and then demonstrated the power of positive thinking, generosity in the spotlight, and some modicum of humility in victory.

At least, that's the view from here….©

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks Quarterback
http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/wilson-why-not-us/135769155790/fanSports/newest/

RIPPLE EFFECT

I get a lot of inspirational posts on my Facebook newsfeed.  Sometimes they make me grumpy.

There is a fine line, I think, between inspired and discouraged.  And I don't need much encouragement to feel discouraged, because the other frequent posts are dire warnings about the earth, our country, city, and neighborhood going to hell in a handbasket.  Our politicians are corrupt, our environment on a warming path to ruin, our food is mostly poison, our neighborhoods riddled with crime, and everybody seems to despair.

So, one would think that the inspirational stuff would uplift.  Yet, often I feel it rings a false note of an oversimplified "Pollyanna" approach to problem solving; or a lament of "everybody does it better than we (the U.S.) do", then trying to encourage an unrealistic sea change in public/private behavior to do better ourselves; or encouragement to just love ourselves into a Nirvana of heaven on earth.  Or look at these cute kittens -- always with the kittens.

I do my fair share of forwarding what I think are important, interesting, funny, or inspiring tidbits too.   I want to inform, educate, and entertain.  But when I do that, what I'm really doing is showing you what's important to me without telling you why.  My son's employer doesn't provide health insurance and he can't afford it on his own; my brother lost his job and medical coverage one month before he was diagnosed with cancer.  I might send you a link to Obamacare, not only because I support it as an important public policy, but because it will help those I love.  Maybe I could just say that.  "I'm posting this because...."

I think the posts I find truly inspirational are not those that are forwarded over and over, but those that are little glimpses into lives being lived to the best of a person's ability, with honesty, integrity, optimism, and humor.  One day at a time.  One person at a time.   I like hearing about how Jim grew his own beans, Sue cares for her elder mother, Jim hosted a fundraiser,  Sue baked an apple pie for a new neighbor, Jim faces cancer with determination, Sue sang a solo at her son's wedding, Jim helped his neighbor build a garage, Sue was at the birth of her granddaughter, Jim missed his putt and made everyone laugh... You get the idea; real stuff.  The stuff of life.

I like knowing that each in my FB family of friends is out there living full-on, making a small and important difference in their worlds, just by trying, by being fully human, by challenging themselves to grow into a more compassionate, abundant Self.  There is a ripple effect.  Show us the pebble you are dropping into the great sea of humanity.  We'll all be inspired.

At least, that's the view from here...©.