Yeah, always more to say...

So, in fact, I will add to this blog right now. 

Have you seen the ads dissing young Trudeau, the new leader of the Liberal party?

It was ridiculous enough that Harper's personal attacks on Ignatieff took root.  I mean, ok, Ignatieff was an egghead, but the bullying Harper indulged in was disgusting.  Even more disgusting is that it apparently worked.

Now he's launched an all out personal offensive against Justin Trudeau.  I think he may have overstepped this time though.  Trudeau is popular, especially amongst the young.  And the pictures Harper's nasty little team of bullies chose to use were of him stripping down to his undershirt  (oh, woohoo) for a charitable cause.  A little bit of fun for charity, and Harper thinks he can make that look bad.  I mean, maybe he can.  That depends on Canadians.

The next attack came after the tragic bombings at the Boston Marathon.  In an interview, Trudeau said he thought we should get at the root cause of this violence.  Harper saw this as an opportunity to politicize the tragedy by criticizing Trudeau's thinking, saying that such attacks should simply be condemned.

Ok yeah... that's been working. {/sarcasm}

Terrorism: condemnation, terrorism: condemnation, terrorism: condemnation.  Does anyone else see a repetitive trend here?  Trudeau is right... we need to find out how these young people are being turned to terrorism and we need to put a stop to it.

Some would-be terrorists were stopped here in Canada shortly after by virtue of a tip from the Muslim community about some young people who seemed to be involved in terror activities.  Tragedy averted.  It's more coooperation, detective work, and preemptive strikes like this that needs to repeated, instead of just more terror. And more condemnation.

We need to know what's happening to these young people, how the terrorists are getting at them and convincing them to participate.  We DO need to look at the root causes of these attacks. Condemnation is NOT enough.

Ah, but Harper doesn't care.  To him, it's just an opportunity to bully an opponent.  I don't understand how this guy got a majority government, but I sure hope Canadians don't fall for his BS again.  And this time, I hope the young people get out and VOTE.  When the time comes, do not miss the opportunity.

 Let your voice be heard!

What a Rough Time to be Christian!

I really just want to salute you genuine Christians, you know who you are. For the rest of you, I'm talking about those caring Christians who actually believe in love, humility and the compassion for others that Jesus taught.

It must be a tough time to be a real Christian, when your faith has pretty much been hi-jacked by some bat-shit crazy, homophobic, misogynistic, right wing zealots who apparently think that Christianity is all about hate and intolerance. Oy.

I'm not big on religion in general. Following only one of the great masters who came among us to guide us tends to lead to conflict. I'm a spiritualist who tries to learn something from them all, so I don't label myself. Still, I am a student of the lessons of Jesus, and what some of these zealots are preaching in his name is shameful ... to the point of obscenity.

So, to those of you who follow the genuine lessons of Jesus, hang in there. Hopefully this darkness too shall pass.

People can be such idiots.

What brings me to this unhappy conclusion? Well, I’ll tell ya. It has a lot to do with those old poops who advised me to beat my child when she had a public meltdown. No, she wasn’t just spoiled. She is a child of autism and has emotional and social disabilities. Tell me though, who do you think is really more socially inept? Those with social disabilities, or those who can’t accept these people with humility, imagination, and grace? I know the answer, but I won’t spoil it for ya.

Then there’s the store clerk who said, “I don’t believe in ‘syndromes.’” Well yeah, it’s always easy to have an opinion at a safe distance from the problem. But I have to live with the reality 24/7, so I have to be more responsible than that.

Then there’s those who think celiac disease is some sort of current fashion. Some sort of "band wagon." Ok, maybe there are those few who’ve gone on a gluten-free diet as if it’s the next greatest fad diet to try. But celiac disease is no fashion. It’s a medically tested auto-immune disease. It hurts. It causes pain, bloating, gall bladder disease, fatty liver, depression and more. Is all this terribly “fashionable” to some people?


Is cancer just a “fashion?” Is pneumonia just a hot fashion now that antibiotics have lost some of their power? Is diabetes just a rollicking modern fashion too?





Once again, it’s always so easy to have an opinion at a safe distance from the reality. But as much as I hate to confuse people whose minds are already made up with pesky facts: there is no day off from autism, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome. There is no day off from celiac disease, or even just gluten intolerance. There is no day off from Colitis. There is no day off from Diabetes, even for those who are just pre-D and in prevention mode. Just as there’s no day off from many health issues, from any auto-immune disorders or diseases, such as PANDAS and more, to cancers, to mental disorders, such as depression or bi-polar disorder, that make every day a challenge, and some days a living hell.

These health issues are not games. They aren't something people drum up just to be “difficult.” They aren’t a joke for someone else’s entertainment. They aren’t about effing “FASHION” or playful BAND WAGONS... they are about living day to day with any and ALL the life-altering challenges that reality will throw at us. If you don’t get it, then you don’t. Lucky you. Just be aware that you damage your own credibility when you belittle the challenges that others face on a daily basis ~ especially those who face several of these challenges all at once.

You think they aren’t real? Well, with all the respect you’re due, you’re an idiot.

Really????

The poster, let's call him John S., wrote that he was retired from the armed services and regretted never having learned to dance. He would have liked to learn, he said. He said no more, just leaving that out there.

Another poster saw John's post. Let's call him Tanglefoot. Now Tanglefoot had been injured in an accident and he took dance lessons as part of his recovery therapy. It was something he'd always wanted to do as well, so he thought he'd be a sport and tell John all about it.

"I took lessons at a dance studio," wrote Tanglefoot. "The instructors were great ~ very patient ~ and I actually got very good at it, despite my disability. I don't dance to rock though, and I'm glad disco is dead, but I love being able to squire my lady around the dance floor to the slow tunes." He went to the trouble of including an URL to a national dance studio to help John out if he wanted to look into it.

But John came back with a little tidbit of information that he'd left out of his original post. "I lost my legs in Iraq," he said. "I don't much wear the prosthetics because they pinch, so I don't think I'll be dancing any time soon."

Tanglefoot was shocked, of course. But he was also angry. He felt used ~ taken advantage of by someone whose original post was not genuine... someone who just wanted sympathy and attention. Indeed, he felt bad for the guy, losing both legs, but he didn't like being misled, and sucked into the other man's self-pity.
Something stinks, Petunia


Tanglefoot himself was an amputee, having lost his foot in a winter climbing accident. But dancing had been the therapy he needed to gain the balance, physical strength and confidence he needed to manage now with the prosthetic foot. But while he was straight up about his disability, he didn't mention details because life isn't a contest and he didn't like to reduce it to one. He just didn't talk to John again.

Compassion? That cuts both ways, or at least it should. When someone presumes they are somehow more deserving of it and wastes someone else's time and effort in a pointless exercise, just to get pity and attention, they risk being denied the very thing they seek.

Yes, people like this have my pity, but not my respect. Perhaps that's partly because I know a great many people, mothers mostly, who face spirit-crushing challenges day in and day out with their kids, who aren't well, and who aren't always getting the medical care they need because of a backward medical community. These moms struggle to inform themselves through what is often a minefield of misinformation, and they take on the status quo and fight for their kids with amazing strength and determination. And they often do so without the support of loved ones... those very people they should be able to count on to stand with them. Then they turn around and help others who are tackling the same minefield, and they do so with love, compassion and grace. These are the people I admire and respect and for whom I have empathy and compassion.

But then there are the others.... I understand how Tanglefoot felt after his encounter with John S. People who are frightened and lonely will always have my sympathy. But I've made the same mistake as Tanglefoot a few times. It's made me hesitant to take people at face value. No challenge gives one person the right to "play" another and I intend to be more circumspect in future. I don't want to be sucked in by those lost in self-pity who think it's ok to misrepresent their situation as if the rest of us have nothing better to do than give them our attention whenever they want it.

Yeah, really.

The Market, and the Unseeing People

I've mentioned the market before.... in a previous post. I think community markets are great. You can get all kinds of foods, as well as locally made arts and crafts. These markets are all about locally grown, often organically or naturally grown meats, vegetables, fruits and more. And local artisans offer up unique items of hand-made beauty, as opposed to those department store things made in some off-shore sweat shop or assembly line.

This colourful hanging thing is made of origami birds!


There are always people who understand this and who shop the market all season long, enjoying the varied fruits of the season. But in the past several weeks of "doing" the market in my local community, I've noticed that there are also a lot of lost people who apparently don't see what is around them.


I don't know why these people come to the market. They walk through quickly, not looking left or right at the goods available. It's ok if they don't want to buy, but why would they not open their eyes and take a little look? Pass the time of day with the vendors or with others who've been attracted to the site? But these people seem quite blind to what is going on all around them. They navigate the wandering crowds, the little knobs of people standing chatting.

They aren't even annoyed by the obstacles. They just duck and weave around them and keep walking. They could always just walk through the parking lot, a stone's throw away, if they're just out for a brisk walk, instead of wending their way through the crowds of shoppers, huggers and chatters. There are few obstacles in the parking lot. Just some parked cars. No people, dogs, kids or other moving obstacles to slow them down. And yet.... there they are, seemingly unaware of where they are, what they're doing there, the goods or the humanity around them. Even if they don't see, you'd think they'd notice the smells...
the hot pies, the potato burgers, the herbs! And the garlic! My goodness... the garlic!!

Who are these people? Why are they walking blind? What is their stress that they get up, get dressed and come out to market, yet notice nothing?

Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it. I take joy in talking to all who stop by my table. If they buy, great. If they want to chat, that's cool too. It's all good. And I get to spend my morning enjoying the smells, doing a little shopping of my own, and gabbing with folks. I just can't help wondering about those willfully blind people who weave through the crowds unseeing. Unaware. All I can do is encourage you, the reader, to go out to your community market, and look, see, smell, chat and enjoy. Whatever your stress is, enjoying what is around you is what will help relieve it.

You go, Madonna!

Ok, I told myself to just shut up, but I can’t help myself. *sigh* I’m probably going to get run over by this little band wagon, leaving deeply spiritual tread marks all over my very human bod. But I just can’t help it.

It was something Madonna said. It was a quote presented on Facebook: “I want to be like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and John Lennon but I want to STAY ALIVE.” Oy. Here come the harsh words from those who presume to judge her.

Well, I’m just not climbing on that wagon. For one thing, I can find a certain dark humour in what she said. (My gift apparently, though I am quite aware that some could just slap me for it.) For another, I just happen to think that judging someone harshly just because they’re rich and famous is every bit as lame as idol-worship. And for yet another, I don’t actually know the woman. I mean, I’ve never met her personally, talked with her, hung out with her. I only know about her what’s reported in the media ~ not exactly the paragon of accuracy. (And no, I don’t indulge in the gossip rags.) Even if I did know her, who died and made me God that I should judge her and her aspirations?

Heh. Madonna is just human, like the rest of us. I’m sure she’s trying. I’m sure she stumbles. I’m equally certain she sometimes triumphs and has her glory moments. I also think she aspires to some lofty heights with her choices, but what’s wrong with that? Should we not aspire to greatness? Are we to assume it’s out of our reach? Ok, it could be argued that wanting to stick around for the standing O is a little self-serving, but on the other hand, which of us is looking forward to being shot, crucified, burned at the stake, drawn and quartered or whatever? Talk about a need for attention, if posthumously. Yeah, yeah... glory in spirit. Well I’m not going to seek out my assassin, I can tell you, greatness or no.

Madonna is a celebrity. As such she lives much of her life under the intense scrutiny of the media, where a lot of what she says and does may be deemed “news” at the whim of a sometimes misguided world. Yep, it’s part of the price of fame, but I bet it still makes life and making those choices all the more difficult.

So I’m cutting her some slack. I admire the people she wants to be like, for whatever reason. What we have here is just life on Earth for however long we’re given it. We are human, for the moment anyway. How we die isn’t supposed to be our choice; but how we live is. And whatever wisdom you aspire to, the reality of life before Enlightenment is chop wood, carry water; after Enlightenment: chop wood, carry water.

Moreover, it’s only something Madonna said. As far as I know she didn’t carve it in a stone tablet and carry it down a mountain. Perspective. Tolerance. Humour. These are just some human qualities I admire. So, nope... maybe it’s an easy ride, but I’m not jumping on the judgement band wagon. You go, Madonna! Maybe one day you’ll get to be as admired as at least one of your heros, AND live to be very old. And in our world, you’ll likely get a standing O just for that. :)

Parenting ~ It Just Comes Naturally, Right?

It does, doesn't it? I mean, people have been popping out babies since the beginning of humanity. If they hadn't known how to care for their progeny, we wouldn't be here. Right?

Of course, there was a time when youngsters learned to parent at home, with the raising up of their siblings. Older kids, girls in particular, helped with the household chores, including the watching, changing, feeding of younger sibs. Boys also helped with the chores, but these were more likely outdoor, seasonal, farm chores, etc. Still, these taught them responsibility.

Well, times change ~ industrial revolution, child labour laws, schools... Do you remember baby dolls? I do. I even had one. The idea of the baby doll was to acquaint little girls with the care and raising of babies. In fact, most human play initiated by toys was, at one time, intended to teach to some degree. "No, no!" said Mom. "You don't drag a baby by its leg, bumping it's head along on the ground! Here's how you carry a baby." My baby doll could wet herself. Of course, after the first few times, Mom put a stop to that, what with all the wet spots all over the living room. The little baby bottle disappeared. The little diapers didn't work quite like real ones. {snicker}

Anyway, I digress. So yeah, way back, play was instructional. Ah, but since it was decided that children need to be in school from about the age of 4 onward, playtime isn't the same. Alas, we weren't allowed to play a whole lot in school. Oh kindergarten was fun. But it isn't as if we could play with dolls. There was serious scissor work to be done, and letters to learn, and stories... so many stories.

And of course, even the playtime available has evolved over the last half century. Baby dolls have given way to the Barbie with all its fashion and accessories. And hunting, fishing, fixing the tractor, car, or whatever, has given way to the video game. Boys are still playing war, but it isn't about physical stealth and target shooting, although they are learning some great hand~eye coordination. And then there's TV... tons of potential, and yet....

Hmmm... so what about these parenting skills? How are kids learning these? With both Mom and Dad working in our society, and with school work, TV and video games taking up so much of their lives, where are kids picking up these skills? Do they learn how to parent from Mom and Dad rushing them around to organized sports, music or dance lessons, cheerleading practice? Could something be missing?

Some schools are experimenting with parenting classes for teens these days, I hear. That's where the teacher sends a student home with a bag of flour to be cared for. This can have interesting results. Still, an effort is being made. Before writing this, I googled "parenting classes in schools" with limited results. So I'm wondering, shouldn't parenting skills just be part of what kids are learning in school? I mean from a young age too. Just as they take health, physical education and history, should they not be taught the basics of caring for another, little human being?

I just can't help wondering. Afterall, we need a licence to drive a car, or pilot a plane or boat. We need one to get married, or to hunt, fish, to sell real estate, or even to have a dog. And yet, no classes and no licence is required to procreate. Not that I'm advocating this. It's just that for something this important, and with issues such as bullying, anger management, social skills and more surfacing as areas of social concern, wouldn't the learning of parenting skills in school be a good thing? Anyway, I think so. Caring is still important. Isn't it?

Just wondering.

A nod to Crystal Jigsaw, whose blog post got me to thinkin'. The link to her blog is: http://crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com/