Treading Time

You know the old addage "treading water", right? While I am not literally swimming, I am certainly in the movement of time. I am progressing, but very slowly. I still have big dreams, some of which may or may not come true. But I'm still plugging away!

That is really all we can do. We each have difficulties. When we are young we feel that some problems are insurmountable. If we get help from others we can overcome them. We learn from them. We build our character around them. When we begin to grow old, we once again find things that feel troublesome, but we have learned that either you confront the difficulty face on or you allow it to twist you, sometimes into a person you don't really like. Sometimes you can no longer trust yourself. You let yourself down. You made a mistake. You blew it.

Still, you can change your mind. We all have the capacity of free will. And we can choose how much effort we want to introduce into our lives. There have been many times I didn't want to face my difficulties. Still, I am a more competent person for doing so. There are avenues for help. Some I have listed below.

Is there something you can do for someone right now? Is there a kindness that you can provide another human being? (Animals too.) Rather than being a community of internet strangers, can we reach out to our neighbors and get to know them? When was the last time you called your parents? When was the last time you called your kids, your siblings? It is so easy to fall into the 'they're fine' syndrome. They may be fine, in the sense of the word that they have a roof over their head for the moment and food to eat (or not), but they could use a kind word, a gesture, a friend. We tend to want to hide our inadequacies. It's a normal thing to do. But wouldn't it be nice to have a group of people who truly accept you for you including all your inadequacies? We don't tend to want to become so vulnerable that we allow another's life to truly touch our own.

There used to be a telephone commercial that said "Reach out and touch someone". This is what I am asking you to do. Have coffee with an old friend, a co-worker or neighbor. Take your kids, or your parents for a walk in the park and chat along the way. Take your spouse to the beach and hold hands in the surf. Surround yourself and your loved ones in the wild Nature all around us. Bugs in the grass. Birds in the sky. Fish in the river. Owls in the trees. I want to share my love of Nature with you. I'm asking that you share you.

I would be honored if you contacted me. Let me get to know you. What have I said or sung that has resonated with you and why? Can I help you find a new understand of your relationship with Nature? I hope to hear from you.