Practice Flights

I was driving the other morning about 6:30 and noticed a flock of geese in formation, honking and flying in a southern direction. It is much too early in the year for them to set out on their migratory journey. It occurred to me that they might have been making a practice flight to be ready when the time comes. I also thought of journeys, expeditions and other adventures all of us will need to take sometime whether through the air or just in our minds. It also occurred to me that it would help for us to practice our skills to be ready when the time comes so they will not be rusty when critically needed.

(Geese in flight)

Stop Lights

When I was five, my father bought our first family car. Our first trip was from Fredonia home to Rochester. Halfway home in the pre-Thruway days we drove through Batavia. I thought we would never get past the endless stoplights and that my days were numbered. Needless to say, I did survive the trip although for years I thought Batavia must have more stoplights than anywhere else in the world. I am still not sure about this. In the ensuing 49 years, I have learned to be more patient and to enjoy the journey rather than being so anxious to get somewhere. I guess getting older is good for something.

(City traffic light)

Plumeria and Hibiscus

This morning as I sat on my porch waiting for the rain to life, I admired my plumeria and hibiscus plants. I bought the plumeria many years ago on a trip to the Canadian National Exhibition. Then it was only a stick a foot long. It rooted in water and and come to thrive. My hibiscus plant was a gift from a friend as he was moving to Florida. Plumeria flowers remind me of kayaking in Hawaii where I happened across an aromatic flower floating down toward me. My brother has a hedge of hibiscus which blooms much longer than the one day life of my blooms. Both flowers always bring back the delights of my trips to Hawaii and times with my brother. I'm glad life has its little reminders.

(Plumeria and Hibiscus Flowers)

Accepting What Is

In the summer we sometimes think it is too hot. In the winter it is too cold. It seems we can always think of some way life could be improved at any particular moment. It is harder for us sometimes to remember how fortunate we are until something tragic happens to us or to someone we care about. I am not always so good at it, but I try to notice the things for which I am grateful each day. I find it a good way to keep my life in perspective.

(Sunset in Dunkirk, NY)

Passing on the Pistol

Toward the end of my father's life, he was ready to let go of his target pistol. I went through all the hoops of obtaining a pistol permit and took possession of his gun. I used it a few times and enjoyed target shooting although I have never had an interest in turning it toward an animal. Now my nephew is ready to adopt it. It came into my life, a bit of memory of my father, and now passes to his grandson. I wonder how many memories go along with it.

Setting Limits

I have often talked with people about setting limits on those who disrupt their lives. It seems a simple thing to suggest and I often wonder why people don't do it. Then I faced a situation where I had to do it. I realized that it was not easy to stop people from interfering with my own wellbeing and that it is difficult, at least for me, to stick up for myself. Am I being selfish? Am I being overly sensitive? Is this really such a big deal? Sometimes I have to remind myself that my needs are important and that if I don't stick up for them no one else will either.

(Gate in the Tower of London)

Bee and Human Stings

I was thinking about bees and people the other day. Bees sting to protect their hives and the price for the individual bee is that the bee dies. Stinging is a mortal decision. I wondered what would happen if human attacks on others had a similar mortal result for the attacker. How readily would we attack each other either verbally or physically? Might we not be more careful to choose a less aggressive path?

(Bee stinger)

Crossword Puzzles and Life

As I was doing a crossword puzzle in the paper this morning, I came to realize that life is something like a crossword puzzle. Some things in life make sense immediately. Some take a little thought. Some demand research. Sometimes everything fits together nicely but sometimes what we think we understand doesn't fit in with other things we think we know. Still life is always a challenge and that's what keeps it interesting.

(Subatomic particle collision)

Poi Pounder

On one of my trips to Hawaii I learned that poi is created from mashed taro root with a tool appropriately enough called a poi pounder. I met a man who made a good side income fashioning poi pounders from monkey pod wood. I was so fascinated that I bought one from him and have admired it on a shelf for years. I must say it has never pounded poi. Sometimes the functional can become our art and delight us more than any amount of intended use.

A Winter's Tale

Now that it is hot, I have been thinking about winter for some reason. One winter when I was a teen, we had a storm in Rochester which kept everyone from going to work or school. I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a neighborhood party. My father worried about the family running out of food. We both thought each other was crazy. I have come to see since that there are people who want to seize every opportunity and those who fear the worst no matter what. With age, I have also learned that their is a middle ground of responding to adventures which present themselves and being careful not to shoot yourself in the foot.

Send in the Clowns

I wrote recently about my girlfriend Carol signing up for clown school. Last night I attended her graduation with her best friend Chick and four other clowns through Grease Paint Alley in Greece NY. I could feel their joy as they awed children wandering into the Greece Ridge Mall. They shared their joy through baloons, stickers and their wonderful selves. They all showed us how to have fun and to appreciate children by making them feel special even if just for a moment. The world welcomes their spirit.

Clowning Around

My girlfriend graduates from clown school tomorrow. I never thought I would be writing this. Frankly it never occurred to me. She has been looking for a way to brighten people's lives (beyond what she already does on a daily basis with her personality.) Tomorrow she will be in costume practicing a new way to bring joy to people. I wish more of us thought seriously about what they had to share with others and how to make the world a little more joyful place.

(Clown triggerfish)

Fingers Do the Walking

Yesterday in church as I watched Jane's fingers create a mood of meditation, I thought back over the last week to the fingers of Jerry Lee Lewis and Doctor John at the Rochester Jazz Festival and how they could excite the Eastman Theater. I have wrestled with the piano for quite a while but have never been able to make my fingers connect the keys and the music with any proficiency. I marvel at the music flowing easily from musicians as their souls float on their melodies. It is one of life's joys for me.

(Reconquista Festival, Vigo, Spain)

Liberalism is a Mental Illness

The above title graced a bumper sticker which recently caught my attention. I wondered what that made conservatism. What about the varieties of religion, occupation, interests and other ways in which people differ. Sometimes we hear of something we could never imagine doing and say, "A person must be truly sick to do such a thing." When we can't picture ourselves thinking or acting in certain ways, we sometimes think those who do must be showing signs of mental illness. Might it not be possible to think or act in different ways from ours and still be sane?

(Reconquista celebration- Vigo, Spain)

Beginning and End

I finished the draft of my first novel this week. I had trouble deciding if it was the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning. It was an accomplishment to reach the last page. Then I realized I had just finished the first stage and that I had quite a bit of editing to do before the book is ready for consumption. Even though there is always more to do, I think it is important to take time to appreciate the steps of accomplishment along the way.

(Lighthouse- Nantucket)

The Art and Science of Life

To look at the newspaper, one would think that living is a scientific endeavor with all there is to be said about medications, medical discoveries, nutrition, etc. In the leisure or living section, we find references to the arts but they are not presented as being essential to our survival, as if they are an afterthought. Lifing life scientifically can be practical but drudgery while living it artfully brings us joy and also an understanding of life's difficulties. As usual, a productive life lies in the balance.

(Carol and Joe at the Mardi Gras Museum- Algiers, Lousiana)

Rodin and Writing

At our writers' meeting on Tuesday, Bill talked about the process of creating written art as a gradual one. The author starts with writing a general group of ideas and then gradually refining them until they finally emerge as a work of art. I thought of Rodin's Gates of Hell and all the refining it must have taken to produce this masterpiece. I remember watching my son starting to weld steel welding rods together bringing to life a mother polar bear and her cub which gladden my heart every time I see them

on my wall. I am grateful for Bill's observation and for the inspiration for my writing which accompanies contemplating sculpture.

(Auguste Rodin- Gates of Hell; Peter Langen- Polar Bears)

The Baker's Corner

Today Carol and I decided to visit the Public Market in Rochester. We had only been there once before on a busy summer Saturday and had to park several blocks away and hike to the market. Today was cooler, in the fifties, after several days of very warm weather. A sparse gathering of customers were blown through the lanes of outside stalls, clutching their coats and shirts while making their purchases. We managed to find some promising fruit and were about to head for the car, away from the chill. We noticed a bakery in one old building and decided to look in. Not only did they offer loaves of fresh bread and pastries, they also advertised the flesh of many beasts and birds. We were less adventurous and chose simple sandwiches. The building was old but servicible.

The owner served us and doted on us while whe had our lunch. The bakery provided shelter from the cold and wind and the proprietor warmed our hearts.

(Tapas in Gijon, Spain)

You May Think That I'm a Dreamer

...as the John Lennon song goes, "...but I'm not the only one." I have long realized I was a dreamer, but sometimes thought I was the only one or at least one of a relatively small number. I have since realized there are many dreamers and have been so throughout history. Dreamers are sometimes seen as useless or a hinderence by those of a more practical bent. I sometimes wonder what the would would be like without any dreamers, whether the rest of its inhabitants pay much attention to the ones among them them or not. Sometimes it is lonely being a dreamer, but usually it is very gratifying.

Railroad siding junction- Batavia, NY)

Zest for Life

Yesterday I felt aware of people who ignored traffic rules such as turn signals and cell phones, sniped at each other and ignored others' needs and wishes. On my drive to Spencerport for the Relay of Life, I was aware of the wonderful scent of honeysuckle seemingly eminating from every stand of trees. It transported me into a different dimension. When I arrived at the Relay, I was aware of a sea of purple-shirted cancer survivors surrounded by their friends and families. Contrary to what one might expect at an event focusing on cancer, the mood was one of celebration and remembrance of loved ones as well as hope for the future. On the way home, the honesuckle kept me focused on the sweetness of life which all too often we seem to forget.