Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Spelling Lessons
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
waking & walking
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
I crashed a wedding the other day. I've never crashed a wedding before, but these are weird times and weird things are bound to happen.
I was going on a walk just for fun, as opposed to braving the elements to do some errands. Due to frigid temperatures and super-slippery sidewalks, it had been more than a week since I'd walked for the sheer joy of it. The sun shone brightly after many grey days as the temperature climbed up to three degrees C. It was a small and welcome blessing in the middle of a c-19 winter.
I came upon the wedding after an hour or so of easy walking. A handful of people were gathered on the sidewalk gazing upward at the house in front of them. I followed their collective gaze to the second story balcony and spied a young couple holding hands and decked out in wedding attire. A woman wedding officiator stood behind them. I had arrived just as the ceremony was beginning.
I wondered if the ceremony had been originally scheduled for that day, because it was the first time in a while that it was warm enough to have an outdoor wedding in reasonable comfort. It seemed as if Mother Nature herself was giving a gift of a mild mid-winter day for their nuptials. It also coincided with the first new moon of the new year. It's hard to say whether that was deliberately planned or just another bit of serendipity, but whatever the case may be, it was an auspicious day to tie the knot.
I stuck around for a while to soak up the good vibes. I kept my distance of course, as did the small group of wedding guests. Everyone was welcoming and didn't make me feel as if I was butting in where I didn't belong. The officiator blessed the young couple and encouraged them on their path through life together. As I listened to her wise words I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Soon the tears were flowing freely. That really surprised me, because I've never cried at a wedding before, even for family and close friends. But there I was shedding tears for people I'd never met.
My emotional response was a release of bottled up tension and stress created by life in the covid-19 era. Fortunately I was crying for good and happy reasons, and not out of sadness or despair. The sweet scene of togetherness amid all the physical separation of the last ten months brought out the best in me. It was great to see people celebrating love, despite all the restrictions placed on gatherings for even the best reasons. It felt like a big, fat fuck you covid-19! And I loved it.
I'm grateful to that young couple and their friends for allowing me to be part of their special day. And attending a wedding on the first new moon of the new year didn't go unnoticed by this sign-seeking magical thinker. It bode well for me and everyone else who was there, even though they may not have been aware of it. Finding love and beauty in the midst of barely-contained chaos is spiritual gold.
Those two young lovers gave me a gift. If it weren't for the tough times we're going through I wouldn't have chanced upon that happy occasion and cried tears of joy for two people I didn't know. And that led me to wonder... Is it possible that covid-19 is making me a better person? Could be. Like I said - weird things are happening.
So mote it be.
- g.p.
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Make Hats Great Again
So I bought a bright red, hippy-happy hat. But please know that it's not one of those red caps that ignorant rioters wear to proclaim their allegiance to a deranged, deluded megalomaniac. My red hat restores a sense of balance for me when I'm feeling out of sorts. It's bright and joyful, and I'd like to think other people enjoy seeing a flash of colour during the long, cold, dark days of winter as well.
That's why I'm sharing my hat with you now - in a number of guises and adorning faces that don't really need enhancement - but make me smile when I look at them wearing my hat. I hope they make you smile, too.
Here's praying that 2021 has happier times and hats in store for us all.
Blessed be.
- g.p.
Thursday, November 19, 2020
I have a joke to share with you. It was going around almost four decades ago with the rise of radical feminism and for some reason it's on my mind lately. That's probably because I blame the hard times the world is going through on patriarchy. In fact, I pretty much blame patriarchy for most of the ills that have plagued humanity for the last five thousand years. I know that's sexist of me, but there are some compelling arguments for my case. Patriarchy represents the lust for power and domination of the earth and women. It's power over rather than power from within.
But I'm not here to re-hash the same old stuff I've been complaining about on this little web of mine for more than a decade now. Today I'm writing a joke that reminds me of being young, righteously angry, recognising my divinity and embracing the power of sisterhood. It's not deep, and not even that funny. But it made me laugh long ago, and remembering it now still puts a little grin on my face. Which means there is a basic truth in it, despite its sexism. So here it is...Q: What would the world be like if there were no men?
A: No war and lots of fat, happy women.
That's it. That's all I wanted to say. Have a nice day.
- g.p.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Kamala Karma
A goddess has been elected vice president of the U.S.A. Kamala Harris triumphed over vile racism and misogyny as she campaigned alongside presidential candidate Joe Biden. Her bravery and perseverance in the face of extreme asperity is nothing less than heroic.
Kamala means lotus in Hindi, the language of her Indian-born mother. The lotus is a sacred flower in Hinduism and Buddhism because it grows and blooms out of muddy, murky waters.
Kamala Harris is the perfect embodiment of the lotus. She emerged victorious after The U.S. - and indeed the entire world - endured four years of living in the muddy trenches of Trump's lies, ill will, and ignorance. And she survived a mud-slinging campaign with grace and dignity, attributes which have been seriously missing in the outgoing president.For four years the world has been forced to watch a shit show in which Trump played the villain. Enter our heroine Kamala Harris, dea ex machina and the stuff of Trump's nightmares - an educated woman of colour in a position of power. Like the fierce Hindu goddess Kali, she is a destroyer of demons.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Smilin' Through
Up until now I hadn't purchased a permanent facemask because I hoped it would make me feel as if this shit show we're going through wouldn't last long enough to warrant the expense. Well, I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong.
Most of all, however, I miss seeing people who return my smiles. But maybe they are. Maybe strangers are smiling at me the way I'm smiling at them beneath the mask. We need good will more than ever now, and we shouldn't have to hide it. So that's why I'll keep wearing my mask when I should, and smile and breathe all the while. So mote it be.
- g.p.