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Found Exhortation
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
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Shiva Lingam?
This fountain is at the main entrance (not on the Mall, but around the corner) to the Department of Labor. It is only on every once and a while, and I do not usually use this entrance, so the fountain is not a main part of my relationship to the building.
One day, a couple of years ago, when I was sitting quietly near the fountain to get some soothing energy from the sound of the water and being outside, I thought about how much it resembled a shiva lingam. Was I seeing symbols that were not intended? Was the artist pulling one over on the government by submitting a design that carried symbolism that, in 1974, would not have been acceptable to many in charge? Was the symbolism there and understood when the design was permitted to be implemented? Do the answers to any of those questions matter with the fountain and all its imagery present in all its effusion?
Best Possible Holiday Walkabout
I may have a nagging cough from a cold that started over a week ago, and it might not have been the ideal of a walk in the woods with a beloved, but I had the best walkabout possible today. The air was mild, and the rain held off until mid-afternoon, leaving plenty of time to get out and appreciate the day. Enjoying that I did not need hat or gloves, I walked for a couple of hours around the neighborhood before I went to the Sunday jam to dance. I picked up a few things that I needed, said hi to neighbors who were also out walking, and looked at trees and clouds and invited myself to be filled with gratitude for what I have.
I was thinking about the exhortation to have the “best possible day.” Before I started my walk, I got an email from a friend about setting a date for lunch, and she said that she’d had the best holiday possible. I think it was in response to my wishing her such–the best holiday possible, that is.
I’ve long stopped exhorting people to have a happy holiday or a merry christmas because I have no idea what might be going on with them (or, I do have an idea). I have enough friends, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances who are facing serious challenges–illness, difficulties with work or difficulties getting work, kids stumbling to get through life, relationship complications, elder care navigations, loss of a loved one, or loneliness–that wishing a happy holiday might be kind of clueless. And then there is the state of society and the world.
Thus, I wish that we are able to recognize and experience what we have that is good (while working to make healthier and more life-enhancing choices/changes for the things that are not good that can be changed) and bring out the best in ourselves in navigating all of life–the best possible holiday, day, year, etc.
A Trend Worth Adopting
When I was a kid, my friend who lived next door and I would use small pieces of slate to draw hopscotch boards and such on the pavement.
In recent years, more and more of my Hill neighbors have been decorating the sidewalks with chalk drawings–mostly done by children.
In south India, many of the thresholds were decorated with beautiful designs made with chalk or colored powder, and I kept thinking how delightful it would be if we engaged in that practice here.
It is on my wish/to do list to get some chalk to draw some welcoming decorations of my own on the sidewalk in front of my house.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Practice Question
I found myself thinking this morning of the poster from when I was a child that said, “war is not healthy for children and other living things.” I wrote it on the front stairs and then asked myself the question, how do I contribute to the causes of war?” And so that I am not only asking what I must change or stop doing, I also ask myself, how can I foster peace?
