Just a speck

I have to write this.  I have to write this so much that I am typing these words right into the blogger editor.  I never do that.  I always type blogs into Open Office Writer, then paste it into blogspot.  hmmmm.

Maybe I'm afraid I'm lose my train of thought...or maybe the train is small and quick and easily distracted.  Time is of the essence.

Enough of the intro.  Here's the train (of thought).  Clouds.

I was laying on the floor, resting after meditation yesterday, with my head to the East, and my feet to the West.  Opening my eyes, I looked out of the western window to see clouds.  Not odd, you say.  True.  But I looked at them differently.  I thought of them differently. 

I thought of the molecules that make up that cloud.  Water (H2O) vapor.  I thought of how water takes on so many manifestations.  Ice, Vapor, Liquid.  I really thought of how these random molecules of H2O came together to form a cloud.  And not just one cloud...mind you we have had our share of total overcast days recently....on this day there were many clouds...some touching...some just flying by others.  What I thought about was...how, or what, brought these molecules together to form a cloud. And, what kept them together? what kept them from running into one another and forming a bigger cloud? and then a bigger cloud...and so on?  I can hear my Florida friends saying....that's what we call a hurricane! But I have no time to stop!

Thoughts continued to tumble....here on Earth we have all these different clouds...cumulus, nimbus, stratus, cirrus....so not only do H2O molecules cling together to form a cloud....they form specific types of clouds....and for a random amount of time.

More thoughts...clouds are like humans....we are all made up of the same "stuff", but we look different...we move about...we change...we dissipate...dissolve...

How wonderful, and strange, this mystery of life is....how complex and simple...how the order of the universe doesn't need a laptop or smart phone to know to do next...how all the rumblings of science...the pontifications of religions...the promises of politicians....the guarantees of parents...how all of our gyrations fail to convince the universe to bend.  No matter that we point to our GPS, to show the way, we fail to alter that great movement. 

Resting....

I watched as clouds sped by my window. One chasing another.

Musings of the Nature of Change

One day, I caught myself pondering (as I do) about time, space and the different paths my life has taken. I found this quote by Albert Einstein:

“I sometimes ask myself how it came about that I was the one to develop the theory of relativity. The reason, I think, is that a normal adult never stops to think about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought about as a child.”

This encouraged me to continue on the course of my musings.

What is change? A particular passage in time. And what is time? A relative measure of space. And what is space? Infinite.

And so we know that change is infinite. It is the constant behavior of nature itself. It is creation in all its subtly; maintenance in all its endeavors; dissolution in all its pandemonium. It is a waltz, a foxtrot, the dance of bedlam. Choreographed perfectly to match the level of ones consciousness. This is why, when many see one event, we get many different accounts of said event.

Unfortunately some of us may view chaos as an uncomfortable air sprinkling about us as a fog or morning mist...as the niggling of an older sibling...the additional workload so graciously given by a colleague...that uncontrollable driver in the car behind; following too close...oblivious to our safety or comfort. In addition to our self produced chaos, let us not forget nature's version....earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, blizzards, heat waves, twisters....the list goes on...

Where does this leave us? Huddled in our houses buying everything from groceries to refrigerators online? Planning and saving and creating contingencies for all possibilities? Filled with fear and anxiety knowing that nature is uncontrollable?

We know what happens when we try to control nature....species die out, people become complacent, CO2 emissions rise, pollution becomes part of the landscape.

Forgive me. Please. It is not my intention to paint a bleak picture. I just wanted to think. Think about change.

I watched a program on “Free to Air” TV – yes, television can be watched with a rooftop antenna, no cable or satellite here in OZ – called “GREAT MIGRATIONS”. Talk about pandemonium! Life giving, death defying migrations by butterflies, water buffalo, zebra, crabs....these animals, driven by instinct, by habit, by some internal knowing...driven by nature....this show showed us this bedlam (in slow motion)....and..............

It was beautiful...nature in the raw....following the path of change, in this case, evolution...a necessary path, for without it...to deny or ignore it, a species might perish. So I thought...are we the only species to strive to control that which cannot be controlled?

We must remind ourselves it is knowledge of change, of growth, that allows us an extraordinary opportunity to gather experiences...of events in life that rock our foundations, our core, our soul...and from them we learn...we grow...we evolve. To gather these experiences, to share them, to pass them on to other generations...this is how we connect...how we form common,loving bonds with other people...not only our family and friends, but strangers and acquaintances too.

Then, I came back to earth....I thought about the previous day....it was a blustery winter's day...the rain came in torrents at times....the wind howled, pushed, prodded everything in its path, even reaching around corners to find a stray leaf....it was a day to rent a DVD and make popcorn, all the time being thankful for a heater and wool blankets. Then....change. This morning brought back shadows cast by sunlight and clouds that race and run across the sky. Nature, change, life....hmmmm....time to get back to the laundry!

Here are pictures of natural Australia for my American friends and family.

Natural

The Hot Summer

We are still in Melbourne, and this week has brought the heat of summer. Temperatures in the 30's (high 80's and 90's) and low humidity at the beginning of the week seemed to suck every available drop of moisture from the ground. Now, as we walk down the Merri Creek trail, the grasses are the color of golden wheat, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom...the creek itself is smaller and gentler, the banks are exposed, and it is easy to see that the creek bed is littered with stone and rock.

The ducks, geese, coots, swans, pigeons, and gulls still rejoice upon our arrival, but even they seem slower to take the swim over the lake from their shady retreat. We too, love the shaded areas on the trail...we tend to walk slower through those spots, heads up, looking around and at each other...once we hit the sun, our heads lower, our conversation pauses, and I think that unconsciously we are both looking for that next reprieve.

This morning we woke to warm temperatures...not too warm, somewhere in the mid 20's (seventies)...took time for our “breakkie”, swept the house some, readied the spinach for lunch, and sat for our morning meditation...silence was broken by wind...then rain began to tap out a staccato beat on the laser light porch roof...the wind continued, the rain stopped. Cooler temperatures are arriving...tomorrow's high is forecast to be 21 (69.8F). We have Maharishis Ghandarva Rain Melody playing...the rain started up again at the conclusion of the first hour...

We welcome the change for our own selfish reasons...while we want the rain for the grass and plants, the lower temperatures will aid us in our newest project. We are rebuilding a raised bed...old landscape timbers, new landscape timbers (sleepers, I am told, is the correct verbiage), digging, lots of digging, pavers, mulch, plants...the whole nine yards! More to come on that news....

I hope all my Fairfield friends are surviving the Iowa winter...I hope all my dome buddies are able to travel to and from meditation easily and safely...I hope everyone is feeling well and strong and vital....from Australia...this is me signing off!

Sounds of Silence

(Thank you to Tracy Hodge and Megan Jericho for this photo of Kakadu, AU)

Sunday morning, Coburg North a suburb of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.

Squaaawwwk, screeeeech, chortle, coo, chirp, whistle – whistle – whistle- woop, cheeeeep – cheep – chirp, coo – coo – coo, dogs bark and warn away, cat next door mournfully meows to be let back indoors, the clock rhythmically registering the passing of a moment, cars racing in the distance, a truck pulling away from a red light, coo – coo – coo (I have to buy a Bird book showing me the birds of Australia), wind passing through my hair, someone closing a car door, a leaf dropping from a tree onto patio bricks, birds celebrating the morning the day the moment (I'm not sure), a fly scooting past my ear, myna birds taunting, parrots vying for space food a mate (again, I don't know), cawing of a raven (probably at the myna birds), larks, doves, screeching, tick tock, GIANT fly, a plane, a truck, cars (things are starting to stir up), creaking of the house warming up in the sun.

I sink into myself. Thoughts. A rumble. A peace. A different kind of silence. I remember that the silence of life lies in between the chirps and chortles, the creaks and groans, and truck engines. The dynamic symphony of life balancing with the silence in between. This is a good thing to remember. A comforting daily experience. Like a cuppa.


PS I went to Borders Bookstore and got that Bird Book...fascinating.