Incognito

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin

Long ago when I used to smoke and perm my hair, I pondered and still do ponder life.

Bound by the senses I nonetheless hold tremendous hope that one day we will learn leaps more about the nature of existence. Our imaginations and curiosity will break through with better ideas which perhaps already whisper within, urging us onward.

The clouds aren't spilling their secrets and for some reality is in their phones more so than the scenes at their feet that wave from right in front of them.

Because they're so common, it's easy to become blind to the wonders that surround and engulf us and perhaps blind us even to some of life's answers.

Yet contemplation persists and is humankind's gift for which I am grateful. So to those who celebrate gratitude today, I wish you a peaceful, enlightening Thanksgiving.

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, Face Off Friday and SKYWATCH. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

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Looking For Luck

“Learn to recognize good luck when it’s waving at you, hoping to get your attention.” — Sally Koslow

   

For people who grieve, even the moon turns sour and no amount of pretty flowers, glad moments or reassuring words bring comfort until they are ready to receive it.

Many feel a deep sadness for the world as they watch opportunities for healing and longer life sustainability slip away. Kindness, facts and expertise are under attack.

One can only hope for sheer luck ... some miraculous unexpected twist of fate that rights the wrongs of deceitful scoundrels hoarding power that have/will create misery for significant patches of the planet. Yes, to combat the manipulation of issues needing urgent attention, we need truth, action and a rather large sprinkling of good luck.

And although we can make educated guesses, when it comes down to it, no one really knows for sure what the near future and beyond hold. Consequences for acts of the ill-willed and well-meaning can be equally and surprisingly unpredictable.

No creature on Earth can be certain where they'll end up. Even those that squirrel away wisely for whatever lies ahead could discover themselves at the mercy of luck to keep them from harm. And sadly one person's good luck can be another's bad luck.

Luck not only wears many guises but at times is unrecognizable. What at first appears to be bad luck can lead to positive outcomes and vice versa. Moreover, we all know luck is fickle, particularly in storms of either sudden escapes or life-altering falls.

At this writing, from my southwest corner of British Columbia, the bomb cyclone that severely hit nearby Vancouver Island came and went. Due to warnings, I had pinned down a few outdoor things that might fly away. This proved prudent but unnecessary since barely a breeze showed up in my area on the Mainland. The picture above and below is of Vancouver which was also spared the storm's wrath. Some say that we make our own good fortune but luck does choose its own time and place of arrival.

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, Face Off Friday, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

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Path Of Delightful Distractions

Aww ... fluffy puppies wearing shoes are a delight ...

... as are hints of tranquil blue peeking out from gloomy clouds after a rainstorm.

Cozy houses delight, too.

Autumn leaves with their bounty of bright colours never fail to amaze ...

... even when they're gone we know they'll come back. I never imagined, however, that an unfit climate-change denier and insult to decency would come back to lead the most powerful nation on Earth. This is a waking nightmare for those who recognize the dangers ahead. The America I felt so hopeful about has slipped away and will likely not materialize in my lifetime. So, although I do, it's not easy to find the path to "delight" at this moment, the word prompt from Poets and Storytellers United.

We Canadians have our own faux-populist who has no plans for the environment but is high in the polls due to constant disinformation and catchy slogans like "axe the tax", a carbon tax rebated to low and mid-income folks. Countering such tactics with pictures and words gives me some measure of pleasure but, I suppose, it is just a diversion.

Frankly, the Turkish proverb, old as time, explains delightfully well what we're going through still in modern times. It goes something like this: "The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because its handle was made of wood, it was one of them."

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

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No Exhale Yet

I'm like the spider looking for shelter from my own disappointment. To put it bluntly, the worst possible candidate (who called climate change a hoax) at the worst possible moment in Earth's environmental window won the US election. The same strange twisted brand of authoritarian style Conservatism also lurks in Canada and around the globe. This is a devastating result for not only the US but the world in my opinion. My faith in humanity is crushed and the insane amount of misinformation spreading like wildfire across the internet frustrates and saddens me. It's not surprising then that my poem for the Poets and Storytellers United prompt "holding your breath” is dramatic perhaps but reflects my pessimistic political outlook, spurred on by Hillary's 2016 loss. For more optimism than I can currently muster, check out Harris's concession speech.

The election, somewhat of a windstorm, preceded nature's windstorm in southwest B.C. Branches flew and the lights went out for several hours. Struggling in these dark times, it sometimes feels as if the lights blew out on mankind. But even as we appear to drown in our consequences, we have responsibilities to do better in our own ways.

   

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

Read more