Give Peace A Chance

I really wanted to post about Backstage today.  Or the projects I am doing for The Pearl, or my beautiful, bountiful garden.   I have some photos to upload, and share, however I awoke this morning with this issue on my mind and I need to get it out there.

Photo found on Wikipedia

I am not a fan of ranting.  While I think it can be good for oneself, I think in general it can be harmful to everyone else.  Ranting generally involves bad energy, blaming, negativity.  I think it often comes from a one sided perspective.  Mine!  I have been really trying to promote good energy both in my life, and everywhere I go.  I believe good energy can do wonders for a situation.  Check out Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer sometime, and see how much can be affected just by one's energy.  I have learned a tremendous amount by watching his show The Dog Whisperer.

most of these pics are from my wild front yard

Life is but a dream.  Each of us is creating our own dream as we go.  Not everyone has the same dream.  And I think that's a good thing.  While I am aware that my life, my choices, my environment are not everyone's ideal they are my life, my choices, my environment.  This is my dream, and I just want the freedom to create a lovely dream that I think is lovely, within reason.  I am not out there legislating to make my ideals the norm. Nor am I complaining to the City about your property, or calling Animal control because your dog barks.  Really now, don't they all??  I say live and let live.  And try to live at peace with everyone and everything.

Rose, if you're still reading, this pic is for you.
See, it's just like yours! (only mine's in need
of a trim!)

Photo cred Joyradost ,
via Wikimedia Commons

I met a wonderful woman recently who told me she was, and still is, a hippie.  I get that.  My husband and I have often been described as 'hippies' for lack of a better descriptor.  I think it's tough to put one's finger on what exactly we are, because we resist being labeled but we do hold some of the same views as hippies.  Anyway, she reminded me what the hippie movement was all about.  Peace, an end to war.  A resistance of the system that they perceived as promoting war.  Wikipedia states that " Hippies perceived the dominant culture as a corrupt, monolithic entity that exercised undue power over their lives, calling this culture "The Establishment", "Big Brother", or "The Man".^[23][24][25] "  

That does sound like us. 

 This past week marked the 20 year anniversary of the Rodney King incident and he has been all over tv talking about his now infamous line "can't we just all get along".  That phrase runs through my head very often.  Can't we?   He said he had a prepared statement he was supposed to read, but instead just spoke from his heart, and that's what came out.  I found it very moving.

Photo from Wikipedia

Now I admit that I am not the most patient person, or the most peaceful at all times.  When I'm in my suburban I am generally zooming past everyone else, usually in a hurry to get where I'm going.  Not because I'm late, just to get it over with.  And honestly sometimes I think a part of my brain takes over that thinks I'm Parnelli Jones and I am driving in the Indianapolis 500.  I really have to stay focused and aware to not go there.  I admittedly was born with a 'lead foot'.  However I make it a rule to not go too far over the speed limit anymore.   So Should I say 'accidentally' go over the speed limit and let's say get pulled over, well then when the officer walks up I try to remember to smile and kindly say "thank you officer, I admit that I was _____________.  Thank you for doing your job."  I realize this sounds very strange, even hokey, but I have two new drivers in my family and once while driving with a permit I had one of my sons pull over with a bunch of other cars by a high school to pick up the other son.  It was raining, and I didn't want to keep circling.  Besides there he was, a minute away from getting in the car.   This particular day a motorcycle cop pulled up to the front of all those cars and gave us all tickets.  As we were driving away the kids, and at least one high school friend were discussing how lame the cops are, etc.   Fortunately I had a moment of clear thinking and I pointed out that there was in fact a no stopping sign where we had pulled over, even if just for a moment.  I took a gamble and I lost.  I know the laws, I can read the signs.  If I didn't want to gamble I shouldn't have had him pull over there.  While they were busy copying derogatory statements they had heard about the police I pointed out that he was just doing his job.  We pay him to do that.  They asked me why I had thanked him, and I said because I was wrong, I took responsibility for it, and truly wanted him to know that I appreciate the job they do.  I wouldn't want to do it.  It's not all pulling over "innocent' people and giving tickets.  I hope they saw the logic.  I think I wouldn't want to stay in a job where I got yelled at regularly for doing my job.  Especially one where I was putting myself in harms way every time I went to work to begin with.

The blueberries are huge! I must be doing something right

Michaels owie!

Unless you are an anarchist I think you would agree with me that we do need laws, police, maybe even some politicians.  We are crazy.  We all make poor choices.  We don't have our morning coffee and want to run irritating pedestrians over.  Or bark at the first person who crosses our paths.  I know, I've seen it.  How many times have I seen an innocent person simply crossing the street, in a crosswalk, with the walk sign and almost get run over?  My very own child was bumped in this way at a particularly rushed intersection where there are two right turn lanes and a lot of pedestrians at various times.  My Father in law was injured yesterday by a careless driver who was too busy to stop and make sure he was ok.  Now I know I live in LaLa land and it can be worse here, but I think this is happening all over.  For example the guy who loudly honks the 'you're an idiot' honk because someone is in his way.  Which one of us has driven perfectly at all times?  Which of us has not made an error in judgement, or a last minute decision and partly blocked say another lane?    We have very limited vision.  My way is right, and everyone else is wrong.  Or my way is the best, and all others are inferior.  What is it in us humans that makes us so arrogant?

The first yellow rose of spring

more lovelies from my garden

I guess what I'm saying here is give peace a chance.  Be the change you want to see in the world.  Live and let live.  And so many other trite sayings that I agree with.  Really, can't we just all get along?  And treat each other kindly?

Why blog?

Sometimes I think, why blog, why even speak?  It's all been done before, it's all been said before.   Sometimes I think why paint? It's all been done before more than a million times... and by those much better than me... but then I have days like today.  Today was a good day.  Twice today because of speaking I recieved huge, and I mean huge compliments.  That doesn't happen very often from strangers.  You just never know do you?

Yesterday sitting in a drive through waiting for our drinks my bitties (what I call my twin pre-schoolers) commented that the girl in the window was very pretty.  So I made a point of looking right at her, to see what they thought was beautiful.  The young girl was pretty.   She looked heavy, and I wondered about that, because she looked a strange kind of heavy, and she was really young looking.  Then I realized she was pregnant.  How tiring that job must be standing for so long, serving with that extra weight and the growth processes going on inside her.  She handed me my drinks, and I passed on the compliment from the bitties.  She got the biggest smile.  I hope it made her day.  I know the two compliments I received today made mine.

I saw this quote the other day and it really says it all here it is



"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." 
             Dalai Lama

I was reminded today of my sweet Gramsy.  She would run into homeless people in LA asking for change, and she would buy them shoes, or lunch, or shoes and lunch.  She didn't have much, but she could not turn a hungry person away, ever. She said they could always use shoes.

One day I was shopping by the San Juan Capistrano Mission, actually I was done shopping and in a hurry to get home.  An elderly gentleman approached me and said
"Excuse me ma'am..."
 I was in a parking lot, alone, but it was daytime.  I stopped, looked him in the eye and said "Yes?"
His next words startled me...  "Aren't you afraid?" He asked me.  This caused me to wonder for a moment if I should be,  and I answered  "no, should I be?"  Waiting to see what would happen next.  This elderly gentleman, who happened to be a person of color and in need of some cash, then said "Are you from here?" Now this question was slightly unnerving because I could not see where this conversation was going?  "Yes."  I said.  "Why?"  "You are the first person in this city who has even stopped to look at me today when I spoke to them.  Everyone else was afraid."  I was stunned.  Since the economy took its turn there have been more and more homeless people asking for help here and there.   This particular shopping center I was walking through was full of economically well off people.  People with much more resources than I, and can you imagine?  No really, can you imagine??  In this day and age being treated so poorly.  I was shocked and saddened.

Some people might think me naiive, or just plain gullible for helping someone who may or may not need help.  Who may or may not take that money and do drugs, or drink.  But you know what?  Maybe that one kindness that person recieves that day will be the catalyst they need for change.  Maybe it will be that one ray of hope in a dark and scary world.  Maybe they are not what they seem at all, who knows?  I surely don't.  The way I see it if they are asking me, it is my choice to be loving, or unloving.  I choose loving.
That reminds me of another quote I love.  In the movie (A great movie) called The Kingdom of Heaven  

the king of Jerusalem has a conversations with the main character Balien who believes he has been abandoned by God.


The King speaking to him about the uncertainties of life says this  " When I was sixteen, I won a great victory. I felt in that moment I would live to be a hundred. Now I know I shall not see thirty. None of us know our end, really, or what hand will guide us there. A king may move a man, a father may claim a son, but that man can also move himself, and only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone, even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus," or that virtue was not convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remember that."


Yes, remember that...

Love is the Movement

Life is not a fairytale.  There is no 'happily ever after' I'm learning.  I have learned this, the hard way.  There are always ups and downs.  Sometimes there are even bottom places where we land and have to look for help.  For me words help, art helps, music helps. I think these are true for a lot of people.

I think I have always known the struggle and the pain with which many suffer.  I thought it was just that I was a melancholy person.  I tried everything I could think of to get out of the pit I was in. Looking for help out from a bottom place once I stumbled upon Renee's story.  Her story touched me so deeply. This was the first time I'd heard of such love. From mere mortals. I was convinced this did not exist.   To Write Love On Her Arms is a group, or a movement I found one day graffitied on a college bench where I sat with my son and a friend from Art class- The name intrigued me and I had to know what it meant.  To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.   I read Renee's story and was so moved by it, by the fact that there were such loving, caring people out there.   People who would give everything to help a total stranger who was suffering.  It touched me so much I had Love tattooed on my arm by a great guy named Turbo at Goodfellas tattoo.  A daily reminder that there is hope, there is love, there are people who care, and I am not alone.

This is a group that has been very near and dear to my heart.  A cause I gladly support.  There are many people in this world suffering with depression and loneliness.  It breaks my heart to hear of children taking their own lives because they had reached their end, and felt there was no hope.  I know that place well.

I'm not sure what inspired me to write about this, this day.  I can only imagine someone needed to read this.  If you are suffering I am here.  You are not alone.  I have found that love helps, and caring friends help.  I know they are hard to come by.  But this group reminds me that they do exist.

photo credit ©2009-2010 ~Siluriformes

Please love.  There is enough pain in this world.  Here is one of my all time favorite quotes



"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
Philo

and be kind to you.  It's a tough lesson to learn sometimes, but a necessary one.  It all starts with love.











Love is the Movement!