A Wider Window To Life

A Wider Window To Life

 We’re all born to this world with individual wonderment of the same universe. And, sharing gives life to that wonderment. Human nature is revealed on the face of an innocent child where love comes first, shown with a smile. Life is an individual journey.

“The Nature of Reality in the Conscious Mind is thru Stories.“ said Deepak Chopra.

What better excitement of your finding the beautiful flower, smelling it’s unique aroma, adding to the joy by telling a friend who delights in your story?

A fundamental question of Life’s Journey, when and where is the line drawn on the depth of Parenthood?  I find it difficult to share life with adult children who are distant. The sharing of life’s wonderment goes beyond a calendar, or sharing food recipes.

As parents we went through the stage in life and had the ‘Baby Thing’.  Our children grew up, but as adults they decided to be distant. That’s their choice.  We did the ‘Baby Thing’ by raising our children with love and a bundle of care.

The gateway to Eternal Bliss is held in the hands of Humanity with the Key of Love. Let Love keep us at the top of this tapestry of humanity.

I find wonderment in life with the love of animals.  Watching the little creatures keeps life simple. Sniff, look, feel, hear, taste, all reminded about what’s important, and gives us a wider window to life.  

What motivates us? Remember, life is an individual journey. Some grow up with a competitive effort to conquer the same universe that they were born to, and cleave to greed.  

Reminded that greed is the seed for all kinds of Evil.  Greed reaches its limit when the fate of Humanity is held in the clutch of a few or submissive to one.

“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” - Tagore

 A reflection from a spoken Native American, which harmonizes with this theme of wonderment, saying their religion is not Faith Based but real. You can feel it, taste it, breathing the air, drinking clean water, seeing the sun, feeling and smelling  the earth, living plants and animals in harmony - living, loving, sharing.

“One is responsible for life: It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we shall return.” - James Baldwin 

“We are all tourists, God is our travel agent who already made our itineraries, bookings and destinations...Trust him and enjoy LIFE.  Life is just a journey! Live today!”- Charles Chaplin

We sit in awe of the wonderment of the miracles of Nature.

My wife Bobbi grows butterflies, from picking itsy bitsy caterpillars on dill from the backyard garden, placing them in a cage, feeding them dill / parsley until they’re big enough to form chrysalis. Then 7 to 10 days when they emerge as butterflies is a miracle.  

Further mystery is the time when the chrysalis stops evolving at Fall Equinox, waits through winter to then emerge in the Spring as Butterflies.   It’s Life’s Wonderment.

Being Bullied

 

 

I’ve never been able to accept be bullied.  Even to this day.  I remember grade school 2nd grade when an errant student probably a grade or two ahead of me, would taunt me outside the entrance, even jump on me and ride me like a horse.  I would try to avoid him, but he always continued.  

One day he tried to ride me and my temper over took me and I went into a rage, knocking him down, jumping and pounding him until a couple of student pulled me off him.  He got up and ran.

I remember a day in the Army in Turkey playing pool in the game room.  I was about to shoot when a drunkard grabbed my target ball, and said “what the fuck you gonna do about it?”  I put my cue stick on my shoulder, and he looked at me and said, “wacha gonna do, hit me with you cue stick? Go on, I dare you.”  I put my cue stick on the table and left.  I didn’t want to dirty my nice Pendleton Shirt. 

I changed shirts, and went to the Service Club Fountain, but turned around because I thought he was in there.  So I went to the NCO Club.  I sat at a table with 3 buddies I worked with.  Ordered my beer.  Chatted.  

Then the asshole came to my table and started to taunt me, seeing out the corner of my eye his waving his fist in jest.  Then he sat down next to me and said some thing, but when he poked his finger into my chest. I parried his fist, and gave him a striking blow to the center of his face.  He jumped up, I jumped up swinging a right hand blow to his jaw, his falling down on the floor, and my saying ‘you get up and I’ll kill you’.  He put his head back down on the floor.  My buddy at the table grabbed my arms to restrain me. The Sergeant of Arms came over to my table and shouted for me to leave.

His buddies said that they were going to get even with me.  Somewhere, somehow.

I walked back to my barracks looking at my bloody fist and remembering my dad saying “don’t take shit off no one”.

Sunday there were about a half dozen or so other soldiers who stopped by my room and congratulated me.  They too were intimidated.

Monday morning at the mess hall, having breakfast, the bully came to my table and said “I want to talk to you outside”.  I stood up, waited, then he said, “go on, I’ not gonna hit you from behind”. 

So we stood outside and I said “if you want to continue this fight, come on, but you’ll not win”.  He said he didn’t know what hit him, cause Sunday morn his face was sore, but was drunk at the NCO Club.  I told him what happened, but when he poked me, that was what started.  He said that he was drunk and didn’t remember, but if what I said was true, he said that he owed my an apology.  He shook my hand and from then on, if we approached each other, even across the street, he would wave.

Maybe the bully’s self esteem level is elevated when confronted with a stupidity of the fist confrontation, and was able to take control with an apology to the superior who won. 

I hold esteemed belts in Aikido & Karate, Aikido worked with one incident.  We were invited to daughter and son-in-law’s  cottage.  Early Sunday morning I heard a dog barking.  Looked out the front door and there was a women jogger with a little dog snipping at her heals with the dog’s owner laughing, as he stood on his front lawn in pajama bottoms only.  

I went out side to observe and then his little Whippet attacked me, barking at my heal.  I took off my belt and gave a swipe, the dog whelped and ran home.  

“You motherfucker” the pajama man yelled while charging me — used attackers running force against him, ducked and  used his momentum to flip him way into the air (looked like a deer in the headlights) his landing on his back, and the fight was over - stood my ground!  

Daughter and son-in-law went for a boat ride when I called the Sheriff and asked that I not press charges.

But that was nothing compared to the doozy lately.   

Our new neighbor next door moved in 4 years ago, but before our old neighbor warned us bout something wrong with this lady, new homeowner, because at the closing she never looked anyone in the eye, but always towards the floor.  

Her grim attitude turned into reality.

She moved in with her live-in-boyfriend.  A sign of Low Life in my opinion and turned to be true.  We put up with his broken muffler for 5 months.  When I posted a note on our window his broken muffler at 6:45 AM was annoying, he posted notes on his side door, “if I didn’t feed the rats, they wouldn’t have eaten holes in his muffler”.

From then on, he took their huge garbage bins out for pick up at 6:45 AM and waited until the next day, at 6:45 AM to retrieve them, rattling them so disturbingly loud.

We contacted City Attorney/Prosecutor and he allowed them to take out their bins only on pick-up day but had to bring them back same day.

I took her misdirected Amazon deliveries thrice to her door, his answer the door one time, baby in arms, took the package and thanked me.  

But when our misdirect Amazon delivery went to her house, they kept the delivery.  When confronted, he said that he returned it.  Amazon said there was no record of a return for that ticket number.  It was impossible for him to return our delivery because it happened within one day when we confronted her.  And, Amazon only takes returns at Kohls Dept. Store, and if perchance he gave the misdirected delivery to the Amazon driver, the driver would have put in on our porch.  Bullshit.

One Tuesday morning at 6:45 AM, garbage pick up, he rattled his garbage cans and it pissed me off.  So I hung a sign out on our front porch “Next Door Kept Our Amazon Delivery” (not accusing them of stealing our package, but according to the law they stopped the delivery, took charge of the delivery when they could have just thrown the package on our front porch.)

He went ballistic.  “Mother Fucker”, “God Damn” when he came home from lunch.  I left the sign up for 2 days.  The Asshole was pissed.  The City Attorney in a telephone conversation told me to take the sign down.

They put their security camera on their garage above our 6 foot privacy fence.  I spent the day putting up a leafy blind that I bought from Amazon for $80.00 on the fence to block the camera from viewing our yard.  After he got home from work, he immediately went and put the camera above my blind.

Then the lady moved the camera  and placed her security camera at their bathroom window, facing our bedroom window.  It’s been a battle ever since with 1 false police report against us for our bright light in our window for our flowers interfering with her camera, and our  911 call for her live-in boy friend threatening bodily harm against me for my posting a memo on my memo board 10 feet from our window seen only from her camera.

We filed a Neighborhood Complaint Form with the City Prosecutor .  They even used a picture from my memory board as evidence for his 3 hour tirade. 

The City Prosecutor showed us their photo shopped picture of my memory board, blown up so large that my memo looked like it was posted in our window.  I showed the Prosecutor a picture of our room with the memo board 10 feet from our window, and he looked at it with exclamation “a’ha”.  Also showed him a spread sheet with over 200 line items of dogs barking, and other harassment.

We left our one hour meeting explaining to the prosecutor that all we wanted was this harassment to stop and he smiled and said “I think so”.  Then the 2 yahoos were called into the prosecutors meeting room.  

When we got home, we noticed that the lady packed her bags and left for over a week.  

I wish that I was a ‘fly on the wall’ to hear what the Prosecutor told this two yahoos, because since then things are quiet.  They were clearly in violation of voyeurism/invasion of privacy, and neighbor harassment, which holds not only a money fine, but imprisonment.  We think that he read them the ‘riot act’.

My point is to never let the bully win.  Never give in because the bully enjoys power.

I don’t know if I was Atticus Finch or easy prey.

 

Wealth Legacy Lost

White Privilege has secured wealth legacy down the food chain to the poorest.  That “Wealth Legacy” aka White Privilege and Legacy of “Slavery” is mutually exclusive. Wealth of using ENSLAVED LABOR to build the Entire US obviously is transferred to White Privilege and conversely the wealth legacy of the Enslaved Persons is lost. Restitution is in order!

“The Capitol, which has housed Congress since 1800 is the most recognized symbol of democratic government in the world.  Although this magnificent structure is visited by nearly fine million people a year, few are aware of the use of Enslaved Labor to build it. “ US Capital Historical Society

Where’s the Legacy of Wealth, like the Plantation Owner’s Legacy?  Or the wealth transfer enslaved labor building the U.S. Capital?

The  Story of Europe by Christopher Clark told the history of the culture of Europe’s quest for dominance of the world, going to Africa and stealing persons for enslavement.  England emerged as the leader in African Slave Trade, spreading their plunder throughout the Americas, thus assuring their Wealth Legacy. 

On a PBS episode: the entire history of US was predicated on Slavery and ingrained in every aspect. England abolished Slavery with the Colonies, and America being afraid lead to the Revolutionary War. 

Arlington Cemetery was Lee’s home, deservedly the hero’s of Civil War fight for freedom from Slavery/ Enslavement were buried in his front yard, taking his property for posterity. Lee was a Traitor who owned people, making them slaves…Robert E. Lee personally owned slaves that he inherited upon the death of his mother, Ann Lee, in 1829.  

The pivotal point of the last great divide manifested itself over Slavery, with the underlying point being Money and Oligarchy. We cannot rewrite the History of Confederate States, they were full blown fascism.  Slavery was the domain.

Slavery. Enslavement of an Individual.  A horror story!  Needs to be Told Every Day!

What digs deeper than Fear for Life compounded by Misery of Existence?

Flight or Fight emotion is so powerful in all and triggers stress.  So terrible a fear to deal with anyone, especially one held in Slavery.  So shameful!  And, those who ignore this history are part of the past and equally guilty.

To deny Slavery as an Ugly stain on American History, is in itself a crime.  History of Slavery, with the guilt of the past and those who were responsible for this horrific tragedy has no expiration date and woe for the future of those who cling on. 

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero 108 BC - 43 BC

Reminded Juneteenth is beyond the idea of Slavery but more significant is Individual Enslavement! Morally speaking, Who Does This?

A PBS episode: history of slavery, man’s inhumanity to man, “Under Ground Railroad” - a glimmer of hope, then hope crushed with ‘Fugitive Slave Act’ 1850 - such inhumane cruelty, heartrending … 

reminded

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” composed by Wallis Willis about 1865 metaphors for the Underground Railroad, carrying Hopefuls to Freedom.

Mark Twain wrote for restitution:

''I do not believe I would very cheerfully help a white student who would ask a benevolence of a stranger,'' Twain wrote Francis Wayland, the law school dean, on Dec. 24, 1885, ''but I do not feel so about the other color. We have ground the manhood out of them, & the shame is ours, not theirs; & we should pay for it.’’

“Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the Past” George Orwell

Sen Henry Clay gave us the Filibuster back in 1850’s thereabout to prevent states changing Anti-Slavery - Slavery still exists, with the 13th Amendment: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States,…”

Reminded: To be a Republican one must be Rich, Cruel, or Ignorant, and it’s not mutually exclusive.  Underscore Cruel.  

“Returning hate for hate multiples hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr.

“In a real sense, all life is interrelated.  All people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in the single garment of destiny.” Martin Luther King Jr. Strength to Love 1963

“In a free society, some are guilty and all are responsible,” wrote Abraham Joshua Heschel. 

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. …we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King

For the White Privileged, try thinking of one’s worst bad day, then multiply by 365, then by 400 and not even come close.  I grew up not having to think about my skin color and the repercussions for the day.

Discrimination has always pervaded society, and of course at different levels.  But back in the ’70’s it struck me, with a particular case involving discrimination based on color and it affected me because I was sensitive to this ‘cancer’.  

In the early ’70’s I was supervisor of 13 full service gasoline stations Detroit area, with about 100 employees under my direction.  I was awarded Top Sales for the region.  

When the Regional Manager came to Detroit from Ashland Ky for inspection, I traveled with the Regional Manager and my supervisor to each of my stations.  Parked and watching from a distance, the Regional Manger spouted “what are those “N” word doing on my driveway? Get rid of them.”  Needless to say, I did not “Get rid of them”, and a short time later was ‘let go’ for no specific reason. 

Those who refrain from Acknowledging History’s Slavery Abhorrence and Necessary Reparations bear the Same Shame and are Guilty of Same even back to the Named Day.

Rolling In The Dough or The Leaning Tower of Pizza

Flat Breads, aka Pizza, with toppings were eaten in ancient times by Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks.  Such a delight passed on by generations tells the story of why today’s Pizza is loved!  

I delighted in my children helping me make pizza as long back as they can remember.

I’ve been baking bread for 50 years, love the idea of rolling in the dough.

My daughter Renee, born 7-7-77 at 7:14 AM, delighted in spending the day with me making pizza. She was 5 years old when when I put her up to the counter on the foot stool to punch pizza dough, and let her put her favorite toppings on her rolled out dough.

The next generation.  My email to Renee recently:

“Thank you Renee and Ferran for hosting a beautiful Birthday Party for Aunt Laura…

and enjoyment for my making Pizza, and to my delight with little Estelle’s fingers touching the toppings for everyone’s delight…”  This little 7 year old granddaughter loves making pizza.

Here are a couple of recipes:

My Pan fried (no oil) Flat Bread: basic white bread recipe, spread like pizza and put into a 14 inch non-stick pan with cover. Wet fingers, spread flat in pan, sprinkle with “Bagel seasoning”, rest 45 min, cook moderate heat 21 min first side, flip 10 min more covered. 

Stove top pizza: Basic pizza dough, spread in 12 non-stick skillet with wet hands, cover & cook 7 min flip & cook 7 min other side.  Cook zucchini, veggies stove top in another pan, top cooked pizza dough with tomato sauce, veggies, cheese, put under broiler for 7 min.  Enjoy! 

Life has always been celebrated with gatherings, and food the source of the gathering.  We cherish our Pizza Parties with fond remembrances.