World Neighbors & Cousins

     It's amazing to watch how wide an audience a blog can reach. So far people have "visited" from (in no particular order): Malaysia, Slovenia, Canada, Germany, Brazil, China, Hungary, Netherlands, Russia, and of course home base ... USA. Thank you for your interest, neighbors; hope you'll consider being a regular follower!

     The past month my time has been occupied researching genealogy. The Family Tree has taken some unexpected twists and turns, presenting some mysteries and secrets to explore. One thought that surfaces is that as I follow the wanderings of my ancestors over land and across oceans to other countries, document marriages and births, and marvel at the variety of surnames, is that we are all eventually related. 

     All these people over the centuries followed their desire for a better life in different directions, with hopes and dreams common to each of us still today. Sad to think that this "world family" can't always get along peacefully, but that's really not so different from our immediate families and neighbors. Some of us forget what we learned as children; to share, play nice, and help others.

     Here's my hand in friendship, dear distant cousins. I may even be finding you in the wide branches of my Family Tree someday. Until then, may our borders be mere outlines on a world map, because we are all more alike, than we are different.

Keeping Life in Focus

     My painting of three competitive cyclists racing across the countryside was completed with two days to spare before being donated as an item in a silent auction at a V.I.P. pre-event to the Amgen Tour of California, Stage 3. It was at that point that it struck me, "What if no one wants it?" Ouch! -- what a blow to the ego that would be.

     When the auction ended, no one had met the minimum bids on my artwork, a jersey autographed by Lance Armstrong, and a second painting by another artist. The yellow jersey ended up being sold through a more traditional method with the auctioneer, microphone in hand, enticing guests to be generous. But my own 'race' to raise money for Breakaway from Cancer (a partnership between Amgen and four non-profit organizations spanning the continuum of cancer care) seemed to end without ever having seen the finish line.

     When I work on a canvas, my bi-focals cause me to struggle. I'm nearsighted at just the wrong distance to keep things in proper focus at times. That's frequently true when it comes to looking at the 'big picture' in life, too.

     One objective friend told me, "Not to worry. Just means the right person wasn't attending." Since the painting will be on display at the end of Stage 3, maybe that's exactly where it's supposed to be at the right moment. My disappointment made me momentarily too myopic to see that far down the road.

     Think of the benefits we would reap by remembering to stay equipped with a set of high-powered binoculars and a helping hand from loyal friends to cope with the potholes of daily life.

Sending a Tsunami of Compassion

     What could be further from "Ripples on Tranquil Waters" than a tsunami? And yet, they are connected in my thoughts. The 9.0 earthquake in Japan a week ago triggered a tsunami with enough power to carry it completely across the Pacific Ocean. Tidal surges traveled 5,500 miles and reached the coastline of California, less than 100 miles from my front door. It staggers the mind. Today the first minuscule atomic traces of radiation carried aloft in the jet stream arrived.

     One event originated from the very nature of our planet, while the other involves the hand of science trying to harness the powerful elements of Earth. The balance between worlds collided.

     There are parallels to these tragic events, on a smaller scale. Each of us have personal 'tsunamis' in our everyday lives, washing over us when least expected. The very reason I included the word 'ripples' in the title of my blog was due to my personal philosophy that even the smallest action has far-reaching consequences; tiny concentric circles on the surface of the water, steadily expanding outward to reach far beyond imagination. What happens to you, large or small, touches my heart.

     Our words and actions outlive us because of the affect we have on the lives of others who share this planet with us. We are all one global humanity. Political, religious, social, and geographic lines drawn by some do not change that fact. The events of this past week are a painful reminder how closely we are connected; and yet, we are not so helpless or inadequate to make positive changes and help others in need. Let's begin by sending a tsunami of love and compassion back across the sea.

Intertwined Threads

     It is priceless to have two lives cross paths and intertwine so closely that one will always be part of the other. All types of relationships have this potential to varying degrees, some positive and others, unfortunately, not so much.  

     Imagine each individual life represented by a fragile thread which twists and wraps its way through the years with countless other threads. My own has wound around, unraveled again at various points, become filled with tangles and stubborn knots. It has even broken under stress a few times, requiring the raw ends to be mended. 

     Even the briefest contact with another person leaves both parties altered. We have the power to touch others with a smile or kind word at the right moment, gifting them with renewed strength and hope for whatever challenges they encounter along their path. Just a couple random threads twisting together in a meaningful pattern.

     It's worth noting that when separate threads are drawn together and spiral into a committed relationship (be that marriage, friendship, family, or some other pursuit), the resulting bond is stronger than the threads were separately. When the time comes for one of those threads to reach the end of its spool, the remaining one still seems to retain much of its essence. Weaving together so tightly is an honor and reason to celebrate.

   

Missing: 49.3 Billion Minutes

     A reporter for the San Jose, California Mercury News reported that just for the month of December 2010, Americans alone spent 49.3 BILLION minutes on Facebook. That's the equivalent of about 94,000 YEARS. I haven't tried to verify those numbers on my calculator, especially since it wasn't designed to handle much more than balancing my bank account.

     Those minutes are gone forever.

     I can't help but wonder ... how many houses for Habitat for Humanity could have been built, how much food could have been grown in backyard gardens to feed the hungry, or improving the environment in some small, but significant way. How many simple acts of kindness could have enriched the lives of others?

     Even if an individual only spends a conservative 10-15 minutes per day 'social networking', that adds up to 5-6 hours each month. While it's unrealistic to expect this trend to change, maybe we can commit to a conscious effort to make our written words (which reflect our actions) to the people we include in our circle positive, uplifting and encouraging.
     Each of us has the power to use the limited minutes we are allotted on earth count for something besides a pathetic statistic. 

Wishbones

     The peculiar, although amusing, ritual of using the breastbone of a turkey (generally) to make a wish follows many holiday feasts in my part of the world. Two people grip opposite ends of the curved bone in their fingertips and pull. The wish is supposed to be granted to the person left holding the larger half.

     The only specific wish I remember making as a very young child was that I would end up holding the biggest piece, which (if I won) miraculously always came true ... much to my amazement and delight.

     I'll admit that I've never been clear on the concept of what entity possesses the power to make this wishful thinking materialize. The mental image of a 25-pound turkey waving a magic wand in its wing while attired in a ruffled tutu doesn't exactly inspire credibility. Regardless, the downside to this custom is that only one participant 'receives'; the other is left holding nothing but a broken stub.

     What if you and I asked for gifts that benefited us both? One of my readers expressed her desire on Facebook that everyone receive her wish for more "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." I could certainly use an extra dose of those qualities.

     So ... take hold of your visionary wishbone with me. Ready? Pull! *SNAP*

     Happy New Year, World!

Time Capsules

     The following question was posted on Facebook earlier this month: "Why is it that the majority of this year seemed to fly by, but now that I want it to last for a long time it is flying by?"

     There was a haunting quality to this which caught and held my attention, realizing my friend is coping with her final moments with a very close relative. My desire was to respond, to let her know someone was listening and cared about the situation, without invading the veil of her privacy in a public forum.

     "I think you'd have to pose that one to Einstein," I wrote (as I briefly contemplated theories of time travel), "Every minute is precious, but when we begin counting them they become finite."

     Yet her question and my 25-words-or-less response are still resurfacing from my subconscious daily, demanding more of my attention. So ... I'm listening again. I've concluded that it's the numbered minutes ticking away (within my own life experience), that I'm not aware of which presently concern me the most. Those capsules of measured time leading to a final second when something unforeseen occurs, leaving no time left to say what should have been said all along, over and over, including: I love you, you are important in my life, and ... I'm listening to your heart.