Archive | April 2020

Insight?

 

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I wonder what we will think

When we look back at these unusual times

Days of physical isolation

Limited travel

Closed schools

Working from home

Unanswered questions

Worries and fears

 

What will we take away from this experience?

Will we be wiser?

More compassionate?

Will we be less materialistic?

Will we be more thankful for all that we have?

Will we have made new friends and connections?

Will our priorities have changed?

 

When the ground is plowed

The harvest is bountiful

The longer the stew simmers

The more delicious it is

 

Difficulties need to be followed by insight

Otherwise suffering is wasted time

 

April 30th, 2020

Mask?

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To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

First they said, don’t wear a mask 

We need them for the health care workers

That made sense

Then they said why don’t you make home made masks?

“Not all of us can sew!”

They said use a bandana

“That would look wired”

They said you can buy one on line

“That I can!”

 

The masks arrived after a few days

They looked cute

But for some reason I didn’t want to wear them

 

My smile tells people I’m friendly

My smile communicates warmth and love

My smile can brighten someone’s day

My smile makes me feel good inside

 

How am I supposed to let people know I’m smiling at them

If my mouth is covered with a mask?

I could paint a smile on my mask

But that would look awfully creepy

 

Some people wear masks

Others don’t 

If everyone did, it would be easier

So, I continue to wonder

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

 

April 24th, 2020

Our times

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We used to write our e-mails on paper

Then put them in a mailbox

And wait for someone to pick them up

They would then be brought to a sorting place

Put in a car or on a plane 

And delivered to another sorting place

Finally, after many days, a mailman would deliver 

These messages to the recipient’s home

 

Now, imagine waiting for a reply!

 

These days we write hundreds of what were called

Letters in those days in one day

And they are delivered in less than a second

No matter how far or near the destination

There are more advanced systems like

Facebook and WhatsApp or Instagram and Zoom

You can speak your message

Or deliver it in a video

You can video chat from anywhere in the world

You can have meetings thanks to Zoom

 

Soon, letters we’ve kept from years past

Will become as valuable as antiques

People will look at them with astonishment

And wonder how we communicated in such slow speeds

 

How times have changed

And how they will keep changing

We should not take what we have for granted

What I just wrote will be read by my friends across the world soon

No mailman, post office or plane needed

 

April 19th, 2020

 

Zen

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Cashew lies down on the floor

Very content 

Without a care

As I blow dry my hair

 

I’ve been wondering what goes on

In that head of hers as she lies there

I’ve noticed she spends a lot of time

Sitting and staring into space

What is her thought process during these times?

How does she entertain herself?

 

The times she sleeps, eats, and plays

I understand

But what about when she stares into the distance?

 

I know dogs are different from people

I should not compare

But this question comes up again and again

 

Maybe those times are her zen times

Her meditation times

Maybe that’s why she’s so relaxed

Maybe I should meditate more too

It seems to be working for Cashew!

 

April 17th, 2020

Learning from our mistakes

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Is man incorrigible?

Will we ever learn from our mistakes?

Not always it seems

We make the same mistake over and over again

But why?

Because we have not changed

We see things the same way and behave the same way

Only a shift in our values and behaviour

Will give rise to better decision making

There needs to be a fundamental shift

In how we see ourselves and our place in the planet

We need to put justice before profit

We need to be less greedy and more generous

We need to look upon others as our brothers and sisters

We need to value honesty and trustworthiness

Our values will determine the outcome

 

April 15th, 2020

Formative days

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These are days of isolation

Of social distancing

Of hunkering down 

 

These are the days of slowing down

Driving less

Travelling much less

Returning home

 

These are unusual times

The world is going through a crisis

And geography and borders matter not

 

These are days of compassion for others and ourselves

Of the selflessness of those who venture out for us

The nurses the doctors and other essential workers

Who must continue to be out and about

 

These are the days of realizing 

The level of our interdependence 

These are the days of coming together

To look for solutions 

 

These are the days of empathy

Of patience

Of evaluation

 

These days are formative days

The effect of which will last a long time

 

April 14th, 2020

Our new reality

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Our new reality

Two feet apart

Grandparents who can’t be visited

Parties that can’t be held

Schools out of session

Universities on line

Theatres and sports arenas empty

Working from home

Zoom meetings

Isolation for those who live alone

 

If we choose International cooperation

Share scientific data

Care for the vulnerable in our communities

House those who live on the streets

Commute less

Pray more

Empathize more

Share more

Acknowledge the oneness of our species

Acknowledge our interdependence

 

Then our new reality

Has some draw-backs in the short term

But it can be very beneficial in the long run

 

April 10th, 2020

Zoom mehmouni*

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During these times of no mehmouni

We’re resorting to Zoom ones

There are advantages involved

With no commute time or air plain ride

We can come together from various counties in the world

Cross-continental mehmounis are what we have now

We can bring our cup of tea or our ‘tokhmeh’*

We can even have a meal at the same time

We can arrive when we want

And leave when we want

We can be inside or outside

Zoom mehmounis are wonderful

The only things we can’t do is talk at the same time

 

April 7th, 2020

 

Mehmouni:  party

Tokhmeh: seeds in their shell that are cracked and eaten as refreshment

Looking for calm

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Back and forth
Back and forth
From icon to icon
On my cell phone:
WhatsApp
Instagram
E-mail
News
Facebook
I read
I listen
I contemplate
And repeat…

Too much news?
Too much information?
Too much screen time?
Perhaps

So I put my phone away
Open my notebook
And start to write

Suddenly time slows down
I relax
I don’t have to process so much information
I don’t have to listen to sad news
I can be in my place of calm

The coffee shops are closed
So, the comfortable chair in our bedroom, by the window
Is where I’m writing today
It’s cloudy and
We’re longing for the return of the sun

We’re all doing our best to cope
To stay connected to friends
To avoid getting cabin fever
To do things in new and different ways

Thankful that writing centres me
Thankful that I’m in touch with my friends
Hoping we’ll emerge stronger and wiser
When we’ve made it through these challenging times

April 2nd, 2020

Our times

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The streets are empty

The parks are empty

No one is going to the movies

The parking lots are empty

Traffic is light

Many people are in their homes

The trees are breathing cleaner air

The bird are singing in clearer skies

Families are having more family time

Coffee time, dinner time

Are spent together unlike before

Everybody is trying to adapt and improvise

Work places are empty

Zoom meetings are all the rage

Working from home saves people the commute time

These changes are bound to affect our world view

Our priorities

Our activities

Our jobs

These changes are giving the planet a chance to breath

A chance to recuperate from our all out assault 

These changes will give us pause to reassess

How will live, what we do and how

 

April 4th, 2020