LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, April 28, 2017

And So Lucy is Back



Life has been good up here on the mountains.  We have had lots of much needed rain although we are still far below normal.  Everything is green and the dogwoods and mountain magnolias are blooming throughout the forests, adding their lovely white to the various shades of green on the hillsides.  Our injured player is very nearly back to normal and life is rich and good.

Why, then, am I so disconcerted?  Why this feeling of unease that permeates my soul?  It has to do with government, both Federal and State.  I watch the "news" only to get the weather reports for the real climate.  Yet I'm drawn Online to newspapers and publications that give me the current political climate.  Difficult as it is, it's a bit easier to digest in print.

I think my biggest concern is that for the first time in my life, I have little or no respect for people who still support certain leaders.  In the past I've had many friends whose politics differed from mine.  I still respected people who have supported leaders whom I did not care for.  But this time it is quite different.  For the first time in my life I consider certain people no longer important to me because of their political support for certain leaders and the direction our country is heading.

I need to be more like our Lucy.  She does not worry about anything.  She doesn't even fear we might forget her breakfast or dinner, because at the appropriate time she will lie down in front of the person in charge of feeding her.  When that person gets up, she runs to her room and stands next to the dog food bin.  Just in case we might have forgotten where the food is kept.  If the day is rainy and cool, she doesn't care that it's mid-April.  She is happy enough to lie amongst her pillows and watch the rain.  She doesn't care about anyone's politics.  She is interested only in whether or not they are willing to pet her.

Perhaps she does worry about things.  Because every now and then she hides her head under a chair. Or other times she will root one of her pillows until it covers most of her head. I really don't think she is worried, but I'm not sure what it means.  I'm sure she is not feeling the same things I am when I want to go lie in bed and cover up my head to get away from worry.


I have no idea why this is comforting for her.  But it seems to be.


I am trying to be more tolerant of those whose views are different from mine.  Honest.  But these people seem to believe that their religious beliefs allow them to discriminate against anyone whose lifestyle does not conform to theirs.  They seem to believe that no religion is valid except Christianity. Not just Christianity, but Christianity as they believe it to be.  And they seem to think they are immune to the laws of this country if every detail does not reflect their own specific belief.  In fact, they seem to believe that the very idea of humanity is no longer meaningful.  They don't even want to help the poor and disenfranchised.

OK.  Stop it.  No more ranting.  I truly am trying to be more charitable to people on the other side of this humongous divide in which we live.  But it is so very difficult for me.  And believe it or not---I accept that they are having just as much difficulty in respecting my views as well.  So we all have a lot of work to do. And I admit it has to start with each of us.  And I will try. For a while I was content to simply write off these people and I know that is not fair.  Every single person with whom I come in contact has something to teach me.  And I'll never learn that with my mind as closed as it has been since November, 2016.

So I will heed the words of those much wiser than I.  Beginning with this quote from Mahatma Ghandi:

“You must not lose faith in humanity.
 Humanity is like an ocean;
If a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”



HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE


9 comments:

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely to read this post (and I will also read your previous one in a moment).
So pleased to read "Our injured player is very nearly back to normal and life is rich and good."

Lovely photograph of Lucy and a great quote from Mahatma Ghandi

Enjoy your weekend

All the best Jan

Arkansas Patti said...

So glad he is almost off the DL. That has to bring a smile. Thank you for my Lucy fix. I have needed that and I may hunt up a bone pillow for my own relief. It has been a tough time lately and face to face, I avoid politics completely. I have family members on the other side. Like you, I find the written word more doable. I can only hope our system will survive this with out too much damage. Can't remember when I have exhaled completely. Hang in, I plan to.

Carolina Linthead said...

I wish I could be more like Lucy, too. But binge watching Shaun the Sheep definitely helps! So funny and clever! With a big heart that is trying to be open and a big brain that needs to be less obsessed with negatives, I am your bloggy buddy, now and always ~ M

The Bug said...

Sometimes I hide my head in the pillow, but it's usually to get away from the light. Well, also from life sometimes too. I find that I can't really spend too much energy worrying about the political scene - I think I'm still in a kind of shock. I should come up there & pet Lucy - I'll bet both of us would feel better!

Jayne said...

Hi old friend! I've been the ostrich since November... can't seem to even watch much news at all. I feel you, completely.

Anonymous said...

This is a very challenging time for our country. Deeply polarized and unsettled. My older brother has been saying since the end of January when the new president had his inauguration and my mother had a stroke leading to vascular dementia, that he lost his mother and country in the same weekend. It has been a profoundly sad time for those who have a completely different vision of how we would like the world to be. Still, we look for beauty all around us and absolutely relish the sweet friendship of fellow bloggers and all the doggies.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Jan - Thanks. And thanks for reminding me of wonderful and delicious spring greens.

Patti-Thanks for the kind words. I also have relatives who are on the other side of politics. I don't write them off because I understand them. They cannot see further than their own town. Maybe I will learn to be more charitable to those not related to me.

Linthead-Your posts and your comments always make me feel better. Somehow I suspected that you are also a fan of Shaun.

Bug - Lucy and I would welcome you at any time.

Jayne - You've been through quite a lot this past year. You have been much in my thoughts as you continue on your journey.

Robin - You have a marvelous attitude and I'm trying to emulate it. You have been through so much pain this year and still you look for the positives.

Nance said...

The Gandhi quote is, of course, profound, but it is a challenging one to live by these days. I struggle daily here in Red Ohio, feeling Surrounded. And as a student of history and one who reveres this country's past, I feel so deeply wounded and ashamed by the assault on the Presidency.

But, as you said, we have to find Our Way.

Vicki Lane said...

It's a struggle not to write off those who distrust facts and science. Still, I remind myself that I have learned much over the years from many of my neighbors who fall into this category. good and kind people, for the most part.