Flowers in California

Flowers in California

Monday, February 23, 2015

With that Cup, Does Society Break Down?

I hope not. And I'm not really a person who tends towards thoughts of society breaking down. That would be a shame.

I am dismayed though, when I see a coffee cup lying on the edge of the sidewalk. Unless someone had a spectacular fall and dropped their cup of coffee or let it go when their child attempted to run off from them, I can't see a good reason to discard a cup and leave it for someone else to pick up, whether the person thinks about that eventuality or not. In what may seem like the small act of littering, a person is showing a disregard for society beyond him/herself. It's bigger than a coffee cup. Why don't they care?

I've carried a lot of cups of coffee around. From an environmental standpoint, it's shameful. I should work on it. But I have never dropped my cup at the side of the road when I'm done, or left it on a store shelf. I've put empty cups in my purse before to carry them until I could find a garbage can. (Awful things go on in my purse anyways; it's not like a few drops of coffee will make things a lot worse.) It's not difficult. They fit in pockets too.

I think it's sad when someone cares so little for the world outside their narrow field of vision. A coffee cup may be small but I think, in some ways, it's huge. It would be so much nicer if even more people cared.

JAHD

Saturday, February 21, 2015

The World Needs These Books

I have come up with some book titles that merit consideration, for any number of reasons. If there are any in which you are particularly interested, please let me know and I'll fire up my quill. Happy reading!

1.  Ducks - Some of the Information You Need to Know

2.  All About Lemons: 460 Pages of Important (and Fun!) Information About this Yellow Fruit
(Note: this is not a book about lemonade)

3.  Indoor Bird Watching for Those Who Don't Have Windows

4.  Important Dates in Tea Towel History (A Non-Pictorial Chronology)

5.  Chairs and Seating, A Look at Comfort (Special Feature: The Beanbag!)

6.  Communicating with your Goldfish (First in a Ten Volume Series)

7.  When to Use Cutlery - A Helpful Guide (Learning to Feel Confident When Facing a Bowl of Soup!)

8.  Back to the Wild: Staying Safe When Animals Break Free at the Zoo

9.  New Shapes in Umbrellas:  A Look at the Triangle

10. Sure we have the egg but... - Memoirs of the Oval, A Sometimes Forgotten Shape

11. Mold at the Back of the Fridge: Recalling Your Intentions When That Food Was So Shiny and News

12. Crafting with Earwax - Creating Beautiful Items with Nature's Generous Bounty

13. Ventriloquism - Why? Just, Why?

14. The Case Against Mozzarella

15. Whom to Call When Your Rabbit Makes Mad (Assuming You Still Have an Unchewed Charger Cord or Landline Wire and Are Able to Make Calls)

16. Look at Me; I'm Baking Soda! How One Household Substance Developed Such a Large and Troubling Ego

17. Beyond Your Coffee Addiction: Finding Other Uses for the Hand that Held the Cup

18. When Good Boots Fail:  A Slippery Account of Bitter Disappointment (and Injured Knees)

19. Hibernation Pros and Cons for the Undecided Goose: Essays and Exercises for the Individual and Flock

20. And, from our self-help series, "You're Passive, You're Aggressive: Is It Time to Focus on Just One?"

JAHD








Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Writing in the Dark

It is 1:57 in the morning and I am writing in the dark. I am being kind to my husband who is asleep. Pens are quiet. Turning the page might not be. We'll see.

I cannot see anything that I write. It's possible that I am writing over words already there.

Always, though, it seems we are doing these things.

We write or type words but when they leave our fingers, we don't know where they go. Who reads them? Do they fade into nothingness? Do they disappear in the air?

And aren't we always writing over words, preconceptions, beliefs?

I am writing in the dark but, really, this is not my first experience at it.

We all write into obscurity and hope to find a place among words already there.

JAHD

Impressions from This Morning

People get on the bus - their eyes - what will they see today? what do they want to see? what do they fear?

A man walks his dog back home. The dog no longer needs a leash; it follows behind the man. The dog has done this many times and moves more slowly now.

Children jog by outside a school. It's gym class or a running class. They'll feel refreshed later; they don't look happy now.

A woman boards the bus and, instantly, all the fallacies of the beauty industry crumble. her face, softened by the years is beautiful. What stories does she have? Does anyone ask her to tell them? Does anyone listen when she speaks?

The bus moves on, traffic moves in different directions. The city is alive, each of its people precious.

JAHD

Monday, February 9, 2015

Listening Within

I have a habit of collecting inspiration quotes. I collect funny quotes too but I don't think the funny quotes are a problem. And while the inspirational quotes may offer good guidance and ideas, I think t here's a limit to how much outside guidance we need to ask for in our lives.

We each  have wisdom. If we take a break from paying attention to the cacophony of voices, ideas and hysteria around us, maybe our own inner voices would feel more free to speak. And when we did speak, write, somehow share our thoughts, the world would be better for hearing, reading, knowing them. I am going to take a break from seeking inspiration from quotes. I will listen to myself more. Maybe I will uncover some inspiring words of my own. (Right now I am thinking that I should put my left sock on my foot. That's not really inspiring but it is a good idea to wear two socks. So I'll consider it a good start.)

JAHD