A Crane
Down by the river
I met a crane enjoying
An early dinner.

Down by the river
I met a crane enjoying
An early dinner.

This evening I attended a gathering at Meridian Hill Park with several hundred Jewish people and a some allies and a few dozen police (not sure whether the police were there intentionally to be threatening or to be of supposed protection).
The gathering was to mourn the 1200 killed on October 7, the 250 taken hostage, and the tens of thousands killed and millions displaced since then. Whether the speakers were Jewish or Palestinian or Christian or Hindu, they were unified in their belief (relying on the texts and teachings that informed their faith), that no lives are more precious than others. The rabbis were emphatic that continuing to bomb and displace Palestinians and now, Lebanese, makes no one safer.
We must stop the relentless funding of war, the destruction of life and communities and the ecosystem if we and our companion species (flora and fauna) are ever to thrive.
Om shanti, shanti, shanti.
Shalom.

I’m pretty sure the Sanskrit word for wonder is abhuta. I found myself contemplating my conviction that part of the practice of yoga (and my photography, which is a practice for me) is to instill everything with a sense of wonder.
I still find plane travel–as wearily familiar as it is–completely miraculous and awe-inspiring.
To go, in just a few short hours, from perfectly temperate to cold and gray with an impending storm (and, of course the reverse) is an outrageous feat indeed. I’m happy to have the cat in my lap.
I was grateful to be able to walk to my comfortable home with plenty of food and to notice the beauty, but still engage in discussion and action to address the current situation. I choose as my role models those who inspire me to think and work and engage more fully. What are the responsibilities that come with privilege–as much as one has (at this point I have more than most,whatever it took to be where I am)?
