Whatever...

The morning sky today is grey, grey, grey - and the temperature actually warmed up to 54 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Wednesday - trash pick up, normally; but thanks to Christ Mass, it will be picked up tomorrow.

What can one say about how the planet is showing us about the terrain we must cross in living this life? Death Valley, a place that is known for its extremes - hot, cold, mysterious movements of rocks sitting in a vast flatland of dried earth, and much more. There is the beauty of the carvings left by the elements as wind, rain, and dry intense heat and even more intense cold re-shapes what exists in that place. It is awesome to enter that space.

And then, there is the sea. The expanse from this western shore all the way out to where the waters may find another land mass - Catalina Island is the closest - only 24 miles or so off the coast. And beyond - the islands of the nation of Hawai'i - surrounded by the kind of waters that were once known as paradise. Flying over the expanse of softness one can imagine what kind of silence, stillness, and quiet lies below the waters. It is a familiar imagination.

Finally, the mountains that surround the basin where Los Angeles sits - filled with magic in the terrain that goes from flats, concrete, glass, and steel - into heaven through winding turns that lead to heavens and forests and sometimes a tunnel that will give way to an incredible vista after moving through the darkness. Bathing in forests can be healing.

As we stay centered on our existences, especially at this time of year when there are so many people celebrating, extending wishes for happy holidays, and remembering "holiness" in the arrival of a savior, we have a deeper awareness. This is the gift of nature – a deeper awareness.

We wonder why things don't feel quite right. As we eat, travel, continuously recite how blessed we are in this life, we know something more - that is unspoken. Perhaps, thankfully unspoken in this moment.

No one wants to even raise the issue of where our world stands on this day, as a new year approaches and all the signs of war become more clear. Instead, the response for many seems to be, "Whatever."

How did that word and thought come into being? Was it because there was a sense that nothing could be done about whatever was happening? Was it because it is an expression that doesn't quite hit the mark of confrontation and conflict? Could it be that there was a recognition that there are no words that will make things more clear? "Whatever."

In this lifetime, one can ask, "Have I gotten what I wanted out of living? Have I really given what I wanted and could give?"

This is a time of year when people give a lot of things. It seems to make us happy to unwrap stuff - and the colors help. But really, can we unwrap all that there is to unwrap this season?

"Whatever.".