All We've Made it Through

You have seen how I bore you on eagle's wings.

- Exodus 19 

You and a friend go on a 10-mile hike. Right in the middle of it, there's a howling thunderstorm which scares the bejeesus out of both of you. But you keep trucking and you make it. All the way. And you celebrate with a high-5 and a beer.

A couple goes out to dinner for their 52nd wedding anniversary. Just the two of them. At one point during the meal, they gaze across the table at each other in silence. Each smiles a gentle "Look-how-far-we've-come" smile. They each whisper, "I love you."

A high school girl wants to be a doctor and signs up for organic chemistry. She's warned how hard it is. And it ends up being harder than any warning foretold. But she makes a B in it. And lying in bed after getting her grade, she breathes deeply and says out loud, "I friggin' did it!"             

Just the fact that you're alive and kicking right now makes it very clear that - whatever struggles, terrors, threats, loss, fear, sadness, heartache or rejection you've been through - you've made it on the other side. 

OK, OK, you may have some scars and battle wounds in heart, body and mind. But you're on the other side of whatever goop and gunk that life has tossed your way. You've made it!  And that is worth celebrating.

Howard is flying high with a trip to Boston last week to hang with his daughter, Windsor, and then to come home and find his younger daughter, Kelsey, home from medical school for a week.  And this weekend, he flies up to Indianapolis to be with his LadyLove, Joyell Smith, for a family wedding.  Not a bad way to end the summer!   

Familiarity

I know my own and my own know me.
– Jesus

If you’re familiar with Latin, or familiar with etymology, you know that the ever-so familiar word we know as “familiar” comes from the not-so-familiar, Latin,
familiaris. Literal translation, “of a household.” Think family, kin, relatives, reunions, Weird Uncle Henry.

To be familiar with something or someone is be like a family member with that something or someone. Which can be terrifying. Or assuring. If you’re familiar with something or someone, you’re bound together by more than casual acquaintance – more than superficial contact, more than the information you find on a job application.

“Familiarity breeds contempt… and children,” wrote Mark Twain. And what the old riverboat renegade was saying is that when you get familiar, you inevitably get down and dirty. You move past the façade and into the filth. Past the pretense and into the poop. But, if you can stand the stench of familiarity, you just might create some new life.

The secrets of familiarity are eternal because no one can ever know everything about anyone. The secrets go on and on. A case could be made that familiarity is the final frontier – taking you boldly where no man has gone before. And the discoveries made there can rock your world.

Good and Evil

Good and evil, dead and alive, everything blooms from one natural stem
– Rumi

For the Taoist, good is not against evil, nor evil against good. These Ying-Yangers teach that good and evil are part of the same story and each contains some aspect of the other.

Any good action would offer some evil ramification and vice-versa. The wise person, contend the Lao Tzu lovers, knows that as nature unfolds, good will flow into bad and bad, into good.

Religion and government are prime examples, of course. Both tend to start with the highest ideals and principles, but over the years, dissolve into cesspools of corruption, violence and sleaze. Then, some reformers come along to rally the faithful citizens into a restoration of the original principles until the backsliding inevitably begins again.

So, does that mean doing good and doing bad are all the same? Is it just a crap shoot as to whether you’re making the world a better place or tearing it apart? Au contraire, Lil’ Buckaroo. It’s simply a reminder that we’re all – the good, the bad and the goofy – all in this soup together. And perhaps, the best route to go is the route of love, forgiveness and compassion. You know, sort of like Jesus – the guy who said “love your enemies” and even forgave the ones who string him up.

Living Like a Chalice

God’s joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box.
– Rumi

“I got rhythm! Who could ask for anything more?” I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.” “All you need is love, ra-ta-da-ta-da…” “All I ever need is you.” “Love is all we need.” And on and on…

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice thoughts,” you say, “when you’re feeling inspired or romantic. Sweet sentiments when things are sailing your way. Pleasant outlook when you’re feeling happy and carefree. But what about when you’re hungry? Or out of work? Or sick? Or just went through – or are facing – the death of a loved one? Then, is love really all we need?”

Poets, philosophers, theologians, scriptures and singer-songwriters are not always so Pollyanna as to imply that love, all by itself, will see you through – will take care of all your needs. These artists and guides are clear that pain is real and suffering cannot be denied. But the feeling still shines through again and again from these teachers, that, somehow, love can lead the way to whatever it is that we need.

Maybe our gig on this planet has less to do with getting all we need from life and more to do with receiving and giving what life offers us. Maybe our days might be better spent as a chalice: always being filled and pouring out – rather than as a sports car: always gassing up, trying to get somewhere and look as good as possible in the process.

Not that we can sit on our sweet butts and expect life to carry us through; but there’s something to be said for enjoying the rhythm, the sun in the morning, the moon at night and whatever love comes your way.

____________________
One of Howard’s favorite pastimes is having dinner with friends. For 40 years, Howard has lived in a Living Cooperative called “Hanger Hall” with 13-15 good people. So when these and others gather around the table for wine and food, Howard is in his glory. Soon, the dinners will move from inside to poolside and the outdoor fun will begin. After dinner skinny-dipping, of course, is never out of the question