Last night Dr. M posted pictures from our back yard. As I was scrolling through them (go here to see for yourself) I kept thinking about how very fortunate we are to have this little house in our small town directly in the middle of our two jobs (40 miles south for me, 35 miles north for Dr. M). Yes, we spend too much on gas (maybe someone could give me a Prius for Christmas?), and our car insurance rate is higher because of the number of miles we put on the car, but being able to do work we enjoy and still be able to pay our bills makes it worth it.
I’ve been reading The Great Emergence (how Christianity is changing and why), by Phyllis Tickle. I’m only about 33% done (according to my Kindle), but I’m fascinated by all the things (& people!) in history that have been (literally) world changing: the printing press, Galileo, the automobile, Freud, Einstein, Marx – just to name a few. Each of those people rocked the core of what people believed about themselves, God, and society. It’s really interesting to me to consider that impact, sitting in my 2013 back yard hundreds of miles from where I grew up. It makes the idea of returning to some mythical golden days seem nonsensical to me. Would those be the days just before or just after Luther nailed his theses to the door?
Yesterday was the first day that I seriously thought about trying to figure out how to get my bike to the bike path for a ride. A couple of things are stopping me – we haven’t put the bike rack on the car yet, and I’m averaging less than 2 miles a day so far. Not really worth the bother to drive over there when riding in the neighborhood is fine for now. And also, there’s the delay factor: what seems like an excellent idea at 3:00 dims considerably after two more hours of work and an hour drive home. Ha!
I’m rambling around because I wanted to write a poem today. I’m letting my mind drift in the hope that it will get snagged on a creative branch & stick long enough to put some non-prosical words here (ooh – maybe it’s working – I just made up a word!). Hmmm…
Bees flowers birds
Tomatoes on the vine
A bicycle in blue
Your hand in mine
Who needs the seven seas
With riches such as these?
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2024 Project 365 – Week Forty-six
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Succinct and to the point. Nice poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephen - succinct is about all I can manage these days :)
DeleteHow true! Forget the bike path until you have weekend time. Enjoy the rides through the neighborhood since they only require you to hop on and go.
ReplyDeleteOur "neighborhood" is actually a sprawling '50s suburb with very limited through traffic and subtle elevation changes. Apart from dodging all the parked cars, it is very bike friendly, and one can plot out different routes. She's loving her evening bike rides!
DeleteWow. I've been feeling this way, too. My backyard is the most soothing and satisfying thing in my life right now. It asks nothing of me and keeps on giving. All I have to do is grab a cup of tea and sit in my chair on the deck.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts about great movers and shakers is mind-nudging for sure. It makes me realize how short our visit here is, and that what we leave behind is all there will be of us one day. All of us can't be Galileo, but we all leave something. Best to try to make it something good.
Thanks for the brain food, Bug.
You're welcome! You know that you're not going get brain food around here that often :)
DeleteExcellent post Bug! I love the historical references and how they have each changed us in one way or another. Enjoy that bike ride. Just do over do it....stay cool. ;)
ReplyDeleteS
Over do is not a concept with which I'm familiar :)
DeleteOur backyard right now is stifling hot. But just you wait. When you're shoveling snow, we'll be relaxed outside for 8 or 9 months.
ReplyDeleteYeah yeah - rub it in!
DeleteI love how you just talked (well, wrote) about different stuff and then - bam - a nice poem burst out. Great skill, love the poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I ramble like that in "real" life too. Ha!
DeleteIt's a great feeling to appreciate your home, isn't it?! It does sound like you guys have the perfect situation.
ReplyDeleteAs for mythical golden days, you're absolutely right -- they ARE a myth. It seems like a weakness of the human race that we yearn for the "good old days" when things were so much better. But they really WEREN'T better. It's just that our memories are selective and we pick and choose what to emphasize. I want to tell this to a lot of people who are obsessed with taking America back to the way they imagine it was in the '40s or '50s -- when, in fact, a huge proportion of the population (women, blacks, gay people) were marginalized back then, and there was less awareness of problems like alcoholism or domestic abuse that were no doubt rampant but simply left undiscussed.
Thanks, Steve! You are absolutely spot on about the "good old days"...
DeleteNice poem, nice appreciation of life.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things about the good old days I wish we had retained -- manners, courtesy, consideration. It seems that as we go faster and faster and communicate less and less in person, we leave those old fashioned ideas behind.
Speaking of which, I just got back from my Saturday ride. I assiduously avoid our bike trail on Saturday because of all the weekend warriors who blast through on their way to ... ? Unfortunately, I had to stay on it for about half a mile this morning and it was ... not as pleasant as during the weekdays. On the other hand, as I rode by a small bush earlier, it exploded with a flock of goldfinches winging their way to the next breakfast spot. A delightful surprise!
An explosion of goldfinches surely was worth it! They are so delightful...pretty, chatty little birds. Yes, I grew up in a world where one showed respect and manners to people in general. I must say that I am pleased at the significant number of students who, from day one, do show respect for faculty and staff at our little school. I, too, grow weary of all the people going nowhere fast, on the bike path and everywhere else.
Delete