Friday, April 30, 2010

A few of my Favorite THings?

Remember the Song  in the "Sound of Music?"  Here are Julie Andrews new words to the song which she coined to commemorate her 69th birthday and a reunion of the movie's cast.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favourite things.
Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favourite things..
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favourite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favourite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Overdo or Do Not at All? Are those my only choices?


Some have called it a fatal flaw, and others commend stamina and focus. Whether its a vice or a virtue is dependent on my current obsession. I can only evaluate the respective merit of my obsessions by their outcomes. For example, completing marathons was "good"---I became physically healthy. Drinking every night for 10 years was an addiction,---it caused me and loved ones pain. I do neither of those things now.

Although I value moderation and balance I seldom practice it. Or, conversely I practice it to such an extent I can behave obsessively balanced. Something like the "Fiddler on the Roof" constantly saying "on the other hand" I try to see the other perspective. Done in excess, keeping one's mind open like that limits one's ability to make a decision. That particular trait, when I venture into it, tends to fade in favor of a firmly held opinion. I am known to be a tad opinionated. Sorry to all I have offended. But I digress from my point.

The past few years I have been knitting, knitting with the same passion I once walked marathons and hiked mountains. Or the same passion I once volunteered for... well, way too many things. Unfortunately, current obsessions, like knitting, have meant that I have turned rather slug-like....slow, unhealthy and overweight. Knitting isn't the reason for this turn of events, its the doing of it instead of doing all those things that once enriched my life.

Now I want to strike out in a new direction. I don't know what direction I will next select and I lack a compass. Though I don't know where to point my foot, I am certain about what I want from the new track. I want deep breaths, laughter, and love, and fresh air, and color, and smooth movement. I want to feel good about the choices I make and the relationships with those I love. I want to know that each action and each decision I make is in the direction of making it better for others. I want and I choose.. a full healthy life.

Bit by bit, little by little, in the years left to me, I will try to build that life. First step. Cleanse my self of all that is not helping me to live well.

Perhaps its time to find balance.
I am still going to knit.


Sunday, April 4, 2010

Duty, Privilege and Honor

"every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr

In casual social circles these words are no longer commonly heard or uttered. If one does use these words, the folks standing around are apt to stand a little stiffer and mutter a platitude, others may shuffle uncomfortably.

I have almost completed thirty days of jury duty. We, a grand jury of seven, have completed the review and assessment of 130 major person-to-person felonies.We voted to indict most of them after hearing the evidence, watching the videos, examining the pictures, and questioning witnesses and victims. These cases included a tragic and appalling number of child sex abuse and pornography crimes, aggravated assaults, and severe examples of habitual domestic violence. These were in addition to several armed robberies, home invasions, and one officer involved killing. In spite of the rawness and sickening graphic-ness of these cases, the victims and the witnesses; I have been left in awe. I find myself wanting to wax poetic with these words--- duty, honor, and privilege . A few times I've expressed, or tried to, the depth and extent of my pride in our system, in our police force, and in our citizenry choosing to participate in this intense experience.


Maybe its because my attempts at sharing my experience have been clumsy. Perhaps my friends and family are uncomfortable with these topics as being just too painful. The cases are decided and details aren't to be shared, but I find the reticence I've seen in many to hear about the world around us unfortunate and troubling. Most of the people I talk with admit to watching programs which include stories similar in character to those reviewed by the grand jury, "Law and Order", and "CSI" among others present these stories as entertainment and are popular in prime time. But few want to hear abut these stories in their true setting, without a crisp and final solution at its end. Many have informed me of their efforts to avoid jury duty by deferring or making excuses to avoid serving if called.

It is true. The victims, and the offenders, flaunt pain and evil making it difficult to sleep some nights. However, the existence of the evil horrific images not created by TV directors reveal more than their own evil.

There is another way to look at this real world though. In this gritty world we live, evil and pain provide nourishment for profound acts of kindness, as well. The pain clearly present in the thirteen year old hooker confessing her two years on the streets, or the woman kept in violent dehumanizing bondage for seven years, was softened by concerned police, compassionate volunteers, social services staff, and courageous witnesses and involved bystanders. The District Attorneys work with deliberate commitment to our system of justice, practice a personal discipline in efforts to balance their lives with beauty. One assistant DA paints beautiful pictures, another revels in his children. While working, the 80 assistance district attorneys working in Multnomah County of Oregon relentlessly pursue justice, but they also treat the victims with compassion and with respect. They exercise this compassion although they have no illusions and freely accept the clay in the feet of those they interview. Then there are the volunteers working for CHIERS to provide warmth and comfort to the homeless, mentally ill and chronically sick with alcoholism, addiction, and desperation.

I think we feel uncomfortable when confronted with the evil in our world for many reasons beyond the ugliness of the images. We feel humbled by the huge scope of evil so far beyond the ability of isolated individuals to rectify.

In spite of the ugly horror of the crimes I learned about, or the apathy and reticence of many average citizens I was also impressed by so many. In those halls of justice God's Grace is vibrantly revealed as well as our shame. The shame we as members of the community should feel when confronted with the palpable evil we have allowed to proliferate.

POSTSCRIPT O by the way, during jury duty one can get a great deal of knitting accomplished. Completed one pair or socks, one triangle scarf and 1/2 of a Central Park Hoodie Cardigan.