Things Wear Out

Another early misty morning sunrise over the trees. The dew is thick this a.m. and it's too wet to sit down on deck chairs. But my coffee is hot and the air is cool, so I stand and look. I love it out here. This view, this sunrise. It draws me in. I cannot tire of looking.

And the birds. They share the space of this budding day. Flutter, perching, pecking, sharing today. This thing that captures my attention never wears out for me.

But I look around and notice that there are things that do wear out. Some things wear out with time. This Adirondack chair. It has seen better days. Been repaired many times. And now worn out. Fit for a bonfire.

And this basil plant. It too has worn out. But not from time or use. It has worn out from neglect. I suppose it got tired of trying to live with nobody tending to its needs. Water, a larger pot. Pruning, perhaps. Whatever the needs, they were not met. Now, it also must be discarded. Time for the compost pile.


Things wear out.

It is this world. It is the way.

The way for things. And the way for people.

We wear out, too.

From time.

Aging is an inevitable part of life. Sure, some fight it. Some work pretty hard to retain youth. Others age gracefully, accepting. But it comes no matter how we feel about it. How we deal with it.

But we are not, should not, be like the chair. Cast aside and deemed no longer fit for use. Just because of wearing out from time.

Set aside to wait for death.

Never let it be said of people.

Is there anyone in my life I consider old and no longer useful?

If there is such a one and I have no time for him (or her), then it is the same. The same as with the chair. And all the excuses in the world about why I have cast them aside are empty. And just excuses.

And what of neglect?

Sadly, yes. There are those who are worn our from neglect.

Wilted from years of trying to fit in.

Dried up from neglect of friendships. Relationships that water. That feed. That make space for growth.

Tired of trying. Waiting. Wanting.

It is sad. Too sad, I think.

Are there those in my life I am neglecting?

Even just a little bit?

Nobody is ever fit for the compost pile.

Not people. Not us.

Things wear out. We deal with that.

But people? No. Never let it be said of us.

Dragonfly's Dance

Glide up, turn around

Drop, lift, spin down.

Float upon a gentle breeze

Dragonflies dance with ease.

No order step, no rhythm time

Fantastically, they don’t collide.

Turn again, about face

Primitive spin in empty space.

They float and drift and on and on

Aerial dance without a song.

 

 

No, World. No.

Once I thought the world was a thief. Robbing my time. My money. My energy.

Taking, taking, taking.

I was wrong.

How can I call it a thief when I willingly give?

The world says, "Do."
Do this.
Do that.
Do more.
I say, "Okay."
I cannot stand up to the pressure. The manipulation. The guild. 
I say yes. I do.

The world says, "Spend."
Buy this.
Buy that.
Buy more.
I say, "Okay."
I cannot resist the ad. The lure. The fact that my neighbor has one.
I say yes. I buy.

The world says, "Work."
Work.
Faster.
More.
I say, "Okay."
Everybody else seems to be busy, productive, busy. Why not me?
I say yes. I work.

But what do I gain?
What do I gain by over-booking? Over-spending? Over-working?

I don't.
I lose.
And my family does, too.

So I learn to say, "No, world."
No.
I stop.
I save.
I rest.
Do less, love more.
Spend less, give more.
Work less, rest more.

No, the world isn't a thief. I am a willing servant, spender, worker.
I have not been robbed.

No, world.
No.

Defining Freedom

Ability to act freely.

The absence of constraint.

Independence.

"All men are created equal..."

Freedom of speech.
  
Rights.


Public expressions of faith.

Worship without fear.

It seems to me the thing all these freedoms I have and take and use and, yes, I want have in common is I haven't done anything to earn any of them. 

Others have done it for me. 

Without knowing me. 

Soldiers. Families. Sacrificed. Fought. Died.  
Without knowing me people worked. People worked and wrote laws and lived up to a belief and gave everything they had for it.

Fathers worked. Mothers wept. Children waited. People lost. 

Lost a lot. For this freedom I celebrate in this place I call America.

And it is amazing to me. And I'm grateful. To all sorts of people I never knew. 

And never will.

And soldiers and the people did it. For America.