Transition
The weather is signaling something that reminds me about constant change being the only thing that is ever-present. And the unexpected that should always be expected. After continuous reminders that the state is in a drought, the rains have come in what has been described as "storm bombs" or "cyclone bombs" by weather watchers. There is always transition - the heavens teach us this in very real terms.
Also, the shift of the calendar this week opened the invitation to begin recording the mundane in life. Note to self: Record as best as possible - what is happening at global, national, state, local, community and individual level - every day. Capture the mundane and look back one day to see what was happening on a given day, in a given year. This could be a fun experience one day! Adventure begins and transition will stay with this project for as long as the writing wants to happen.
Today, January 5, 2023 - the media reports that the newly-elected Republican majority has been stuck. They cannot, after 6 votes, come together as a party to elect a Speaker of the House. The result is that no business can be conducted and twenty or so members are the stumbling block. These kinds of events create opportunities to learn new things. Here: the role of Speaker doesn't have to be a member of Congress (didn't know that before now). The inability to elect also reveals deep divisions that reflect what society-at-large is facing: distrust, anger, lack of ability to work together for the common good. Who (or what) led to this? The story tends to land on a particular President but one can guess that its much more than just that individual.
At home, the family is also struggling. There is division as to how best to care for aging parents who always expressed a desire not to be burdens but also (more recently) a desire to remain home to age in place. Children who are aging themselves, are facing unknown territory. For example, how to stop a parent from driving, even as the DMV allows the license to remain valid, or how to move a struggling elder across a room without having them fall or simply give up on the short distance, or how to change adult diapers on a person who will not move. These are all realities that need to be met with as much care and skill as an untrained person can muster. So the debate centers on whether family should be doing this or, professionals who can provide 24-hour care but in a facility. Good points on both sides of the question exist. For now, staying home appears to be the choice.
In community, the need most present is shelter. Our project is supporting the fact of human flow due to crises both natural and human-made. And a good question arises: Why care for people in transit south of the border when there is so much need among people in transit right at home? It's a good question. The only answer I can give: karmic connection and realizing transition comes with living. For some that transition is physical, for others a different kind of change happens - more subtle, non-material, and yet very real.
Today's word came after scanning news and sitting in silence listening to the rainfall. All of the thoughts that were passing through the mind as the body sat in stillness matched the rain - momentary, fleeting, dissolving, yet in transition from heaven to earth - very real, making room for new things to emerge.