There Are No Level Playing Fields...But There Can Be.

 

Hi!

Nature paints a speckled sky as the sun loses its neverending battle with the moon. 

The same brush floods colour to the fields of canola, peas, and all kinds of things that will have a heavy hand in feeding the world, as long as nature doesn't decide to ruin the crops through drought or hail, or some other weather reaper.

These colours take hold as summer gets into its groove, as the school year ends, as plans for roadtrips and reunions, street fairs and music festivals begin to take shape. This is what summer looks like where I live.

Floating in lakes, or back yard, above ground pools, sprinting through sprinklers and perfecting your best trampoline flips. Bar-b-ques and firepits, slowpitch, beersbee, ladder golf and pickleball provide the bits for the sports highlight reels debated around that open flame. 

None of it costs much, but provides great dividends of peace. 

I completely understand the neck-deep privilege that  I stand in that allows me this peace. I get it.

If I had been born ina different time, in a different part of the world with different features, a different orientation, or gender identity, my life would very likely look be a lot less peaceful.

Does that mean my life has been easy? Of course not, it just means that it hasn't been made harder because of the colour of my skin, who I love, or because I feel I don't fit in the body I was given. 

It just means I was, and am, not held back by societal hurdles that others need to clear to get to where I started. 

There are no level playing fields. Never has been. 

But that does not mean we can't get there. 

True equality is something that strikes fear only into the minds of those unaffected by bias. 

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the term "too equal." That somehow, those who wish to be treated equally are somehow asking for too much. What does that even mean?

Why can't every person carry the same freedom awarded to straight white males?

The same bodily autonomy. The same pay. The same opportunities, given just as readily. The same freedom from dress codes. The same definitions in behavior, a 'strong leader' need not be labelled as 'bossy' simply because of gender. The same rights to wed, to be parents, to live without a constant need to be on guard. 

Most violent crimes are committed by straight males. That's just a fact of our global society. Yet, they continue to be the ones who make most of the rules. So anything they fear, they can outlaw. So anyone they fear, they can oppress. So, anything they find threatening, they can destroy. So, anything they want, they take. 

Now, before I inevitably start receiving all kinds of ugliness from this group of individuals, please understand that I KNOW it's not ALL straight males. Good straight men exist! I happen to be married to one. He had a solid hand in raising our four strong, independent, kind, creative, smart, feminist daughters to be just that. 

Nature paints with a colourful and diversified brush. No two trees are the same, no two blades of grass. Nature is unpredictable and full of things we don't understand, but we don't destroy or try to eliminate things we don't understand. We do what we can for species in trouble of extinction, for forests, for rivers, oceans and lakes. We rescue dogs, deer caught in fences, kittens stuck in trees. 

Doesn't every single human on the planet deserve at least that same level of respect? Stop trying to eliminate swaths of humanity.  It's barbaric, it's wrong, and history has taught us, and I'm appealing to your greed here, it doesn't even work. 

There are no level playing fields. But, there can be.

You don't even have to help, just stop hindering the progress the rest of us want to make. 

*********************************************************

May you paint with every colour, embracing every shade.

May "equality" be removed from the swear jar, becoming a plan made.

May we finally get to the point where diversity becomes understood as a unilateral advantage.

May those who find it threatening, simply get over themselves, and get on the correct page.

May we all come to comprehend that "they" are not out to take what you consider yours.

May we finally see that we are all made of blood, bone, and emotion, human, the same, of course.

May we realize that we are but a blip in the universe, so how we treat each other, really is all that matters.

May we realize that how we treat each other is the difference between humanity lifted and humanity shattered. 

*********************************************************************

Ahhhhhh Summer Solstice...

 

Hi!

In the part of the world wherein I have the privilege of living, this is the week of the summer solstice. 

This week, the sun takes it's laziest trip across the skies, trailing only beauty in it's wake. The light struggles against the darkness only losing the battle of dominance slightly before the turn of the calendar. It marks the beginning of a most treasured stretch of the year, as it always seems so fleeting.

It's a time of in-between for school-aged kids of all ages. A time of transition, a time to reconnect to their families and themselves before heading back into the structure of a student's life. Fewer schedules, lifted restrictions on bedtimes, no homework, plenty of sunshine, bike rides, and other summertime adventures. 

Some have lakes to escape to on a regular basis, spending an entire summer living a life at the beach. Others have to stay closer to home, and need to be a bit more creative when it comes to warm-weather entertainment. Budget, time, and privilege often dictate what your summer may look like. 

If you are lucky enough to be an all-summer lake dweller, I hope you have the most incredible time, filled with incredible memories built from a reconnection to your wildhood. 

If you are more inclined to be a taker of weekend road trips, or have only a couple of weeks of vacation at your disposal, make the most of it. Just for your information, there is ample agreement in the ether that road trip snacks don't actually count as food intake or calories at all, for that matter. I'm pretty sure I read a study...

If you are self-employed, or in any other situation where you don't get paid vacation time, there are still ways to enjoy summer that cost little or no money and can make your days off feel like a vacation. Take advantage of every non-working minute to do fun things that don't fit into your usual routine. A walk, a bike ride, a picnic, a water fight, anything that takes you away from your day-to-day. 

Whatever your situation, just do yourself the favour of allowing yourself to enjoy this time. If we are very lucky, we get about 80 summers to enjoy throughout our entire lives. Way too many don't even get that many. When we are very young, they seem plentiful and endless, but as we age, we begin to appreciate the fact that they are anything but. 

Take pleasure in the small things, for they can be incredibly special, but, for crying in the sink, don't limit yourself to small things if you don't have to! 

**************************************************************************

The sun and moon struggle for power over the skies. Although she knows she will inevitably have to concede, Sun holds tightly to the edges of the horizon, painting her light with every brilliance until she grows too weary to linger. She briefly rests, as she will be victorious, again, once the clock strikes the early hours of tomorrow. 

Lessons Are The Goal, Not Just What Happens Along The Way...

 

Hi!

Well, it's graduation and wedding season, once again!

Two incredible, life-changing events that though not everyone experiences literally, most hit these milestones in some form or another. We graduate from one job to another, we have long-term relationships that aren't necessarily formalized on paper, but that doesn't make these horizons any less important, or meaningful. 

These events, though happy and exciting can also be stressful and challenging.

Graduation.

Whether you are graduating preschool, kindergarten, middle school, high school, college, university, switching jobs, or entering a new life chapter, you are facing a change which will require decisions. Of course, as a child, you generally have little input into what comes next, but once you hit that high school one, you shift from passenger, with that back seat driver confidence, to the driver. If you are very lucky you have support and some semblance of guidance if you want it, but the direction you take from here is on you. 

Luckily, very few decisions in life are actually, factually, life and death decisions.

That doesn't mean they aren't big, that they aren't important, or that they should be taken lightly, it just means if they are wrong, you can and will recover.

First, just know there is no possible way to get it all right. Nobody gets every decision right. That's impossible. What is "right" anyway? You will make some choices that end up biting you in the ass, it's inevitable. It's human. It's life. But, with every bite comes a lesson. With lessons, if we are wise, we learn. With learning, hopefully we do better for ourselves and those we love. 

Second, the biggest favour you can do for you is to be brutally honest with yourself. You alone know how deep you can dig, if you really are giving 100%, or where your true talents lie. Only you know for sure what you are capable of in life, love, community and career. This doesn't mean you need to have a deep understanding of this right off the jump. That would be insane. As you gain knowledge of the world, you also have the opportunity to soak in knowledge about yourself. You then can take that knowledge and run with it. 

Third, being uncomfortable is necessary. If you spend your entire life only doing what makes you comfortable, you can't grow. Comfort zones are self-imposed prisons that create limits where there need not be any. That doesn't mean you become wreckless, it just requires you to be brave. If we want to capture dreams, we need to first leave the boxes that have been built around us, first by others, then by us. 

Fourth, as you walk through life, if you are paying attention, you will discover just how much you don't know, and that lessons are the goal, not just what happens along the way. 

So celebrate this milestone, whatever it looks like in your life. New horizons are gorgeous!

Wedding.

Not everyone chooses to be married, some would like to be, but aren't, some are perfectly happy in a relationship without paperwork, but there are those who want to be married and are able to capture that dream. Some are lucky enough to find the desire for that commitment more than once in a lifetime. 

For transparency's sake, and for those who may be new to these ramblings, my hubby and I have been together for 38 years, and have been married for 36 of those. Yup, we were married in 1987, and I was 7 months pregnant with our second daughter on our wedding day. 

Coming from a very Catholic background, you can imagine, it was not exactly a stress-free period in our lives. 

Statistically, our marriage should have never happened, let alone be successful. We only knew each other for three months when I became pregnant with our first daughter. We were 19 and 21 years old. We had heavy opposition from my parents. We were poor as hell. We had four daughters by the time I had my 25th birthday. Statistically, we shouldn't exist as a happily married couple, but here we are, killin' it. 

Why do I tell you this? Because we are proof that life can work, regardless, or maybe in spite of the odds.

I am well aware that we are the exception and not the rule. But we are possible. 

For some, who choose to seek it, it can take a few tries to find that partner in life. Some find it, and lose their person through sheer tragedy, but are able to find someone to ride the waves with once again. Not a replacement, by any stretch, but someone to walk with going forward, a completely different relationship, but no less important.

Weddings can be stressful. They can challenge relationships surrounding the couple. There are hurdles when there are kids involved, no matter the age. Blending families can be tough, but I've seen it happen successfully and happily. This may be the exception, but it's possible. 

No matter what you choose, how you wish to walk this earth, do so with grace, empathy, kindness, acceptance, and compassion. Everyone is worthy of happiness.

Horizons. Both beautiful and mysterious, we can perceive hints as to what is just over them, but we can't know for sure until we leave our boxes and explore. 

New Horizons Are Gorgeous!

How You Know Life Is Good...

 

Hi!

With all of the darkness that seems to permeate the very air we breathe, both figuratively and literally, it can become pretty easy to get weighed down by it all. 

But, here's the thing, or things, I guess... look up. Look up, look around, you won't have to look far to find out life is pretty damn good. 

-Here in Canada, right now, at this moment, we have a crazy amount of huge wildfires going on in vastly different parts of our country. But also here in Canada, we have heroic, talented, firefighters and volunteers who are making headway on these fires, and there is rain in the forecast! Also, we, the ones unable to help physically, in person,  have opportunities to donate to the efforts in a lot of different ways.  

-Throughout history, there have been plenty of times when distorted belief systems, and greed, lead to times of conflict, cruelty, and chaos. But, also throughout history, these times give way to peace. I mean, never everywhere all at once, at least I don't think so, but it happens. 

-History books are full of people who tried to convince other people that still other people were somehow less than. Whether it was because of their skin colour, their religion, where they were born, or simply how they wish to represent themselves as they walk through the world. But... even though it always seems to take waaaaaaayyyyyyy too long, they eventually discover that the majority of people, meaning more than they were able to convince otherwise, believe, and will stand up for, the fact that those delusions of superiority are just that, delusions, and don't buy in. Then, as a society, we get to keep moving forward toward harmony. Who knows if we will ever achieve it completely, but we can't not continue to try. 

-If you look closer, you will find things that prove over and over again that life is good. Watching a little one discover bar-b-que, the heartbreaking beauty of a moment of unfettered love between siblings, fancy potlucks with incredible friends, an evening sky filled equally with both promise and mystery. 

-If you look even closer, you will find people who care for you, love you, are there for you. They may not be family by blood, but they are family, all the same. No one should ever feel alone. If you know, come across, or have a feeling about someone feeling that way, please let them know, that even if no one else does, you care. It can be a smile, a meal, some change, hell, sometimes just any simple kindness or courtesy can do the trick. You never know what your impact on someone else's life might be, so try to make it positive. It may only last seconds, but it can make a lifetime of difference. 

-If you look even closer yet... you are here, you are worthy of all good things, your heart is beating, air is moving in and out, you have the ability to think.

Life is good. Don't waste it. 

Do what you can for as many as you can for as long as you can, and do so without an audience or applause. 

How you know life is good.... you're living it. 

**********************************************************************

May every step taken be toward discovering a better way to be.

May we work together toward inclusion, wear your rainbow for all the world to see. 

*********************************************************************

All I Have, This Week, Is Questions...

 

Hi! 

Well folks, this is going to be a bit of a write-and-run situation. 

It's nothing earth-shattering, just a bit busier than normal.... haha normal, like that's a thing.

I do have a few questions that I'm trying to find answers to, maybe I'll get a better handle on some answers by the time I put fingers to the keys next week. 

Question one: How is it that one small group of people, simply because they are loud seem to make decisions for everyone? Did I miss something, or do we still live in a democracy where majority rules. 

Question two: Now, of course, I realize that not all organized religions are cut from the same cloth, so to speak. That being said, why do organized religions seem to confuse religion and morality, religion and decency, religion and compassion when, from the actions of some said religions throughout history and to this day, prove the opposite to be true? 

Question three: Some of my generation and older like to disparage the younger generations for being "soft." I don't know about you, but I don't remember having to go through active shooter drills, deal with book bans, a pandemic, record-high inflation, and trying to leave the proverbial nest and make ends meet when wages and cost of living expenses are on different planets. 

Question four: When are we going to come to a true consensus that trying to fit people into boxes is nothing but damaging? Damaging for the fitter and the fitted. Differences are fantastic, embracing them even more so. and if it's a difference you truly and sincerely have difficulty understanding it is nothing but an opportunity to learn. Okay, maybe I have one answer. 

Question five: How do you keep meringue cookies from getting sticky when your house is humid as hell after a thunderstorm?

Anyway, all I have this week are questions... maybe next week, some more answers?

P.S. The blanket in the second photo, yeah I totally crocheted that. The last one I made was when I quit smoking, years ago. I was trying to keep my hands occupied. This one was on a whim inspired by one of my daughter's offer of some leftover yarn. In case you were wondering. 

***************************************************************

May everything you do, everything you need, and everything positive come your way in abundance!