loving art, science and creative kids
4/23/2021 6:42:29 PM
Surf's Up
As part of nature we want to find balance.
One Woman’s Way Towards Balance
There are many ideas as to what it means to live life well. To me, doing so this past year meant achieving balance, finding a way to exist in an equilibrium allowing for self-expression and enabling growth. The COVID pandemic brought this need to the forefront when the patterns I used to adhere to were disrupted. To survive with equanimity it became necessary to reorganize my mind. Friends told me of similar experiences, though each path was different. Today I share my journey with the hope that you will say something about yours in return.
My quest for balance started with the desire to maintain health. Searching for scientific information and following CDC recommended guidelines provided the best path for me to travel, despite the illness being poorly understood. Paying attention to virologists seemed wiser than listening to voodoo hopefuls spouting untested solutions. Unfortunately, early CDC recommendations led to confusion that affected public trust and caused negative consequences. Still, the information following the science seemed better than the alternatives.
To counterbalance so much uncertainty, I was driven to find some way to exert control over my days and did so by starting each one with an exercise routine that I varied. Some were aerobic to increase lung capacity and heart strength while others, like pilates and yoga, were focused on building core strength, balance, and meditative breathing. Though I watched neighbors mask up and join friends on walks, that was not my custom.
On strolls outside, I preferred being alone so I could observe my environment more deeply with the aid of a camera. I photographed the flora and fauna through their seasonal growth cycle, studied doorways, walkways, walls, and windows, to see how they were made, positioned, and painted, and maintained. These images along with those of unusual shadows cast by buildings and bridges, provided fodder for paintings made later in my studio. But, most of all during the walks, I thought.
In my search for balance, I was challenged to exercise my brain. The excursions were both meditative and intellectually stimulating. Thoughts often led me back to the computer to seek answers to questions raised during the outing. To adapt to change, I decided it necessary to stay abreast of generational and environmental deviations, economic impacts, political, and racial divides. Maintaining a weekly blog, moved me to analyze what was happening close to home. But writing had another benefit-it helped me maintain balance. Writing is a solitary activity that shuffles words and thoughts until they are put on a page with clarity. To have something to say, writers have to experience the world, to study human nature and get to know the communities they write about.
Believing that as a species human beings are communal, I started my blog as a way of reaching out to my children. Over time, my reach spread to friends and acquaintances interested in similar topics. The books I wrote since retiring in 2014, had a different purpose. Lives of Museum Junkies was meant to inspire readers to consider the way children are taught and Over The Peanut Fence was written to explain the plight of homeless and runaway youth to motivate the public to help them. My latest endeavor, not yet published, is Antheia in the Thorns. It is an environmental action story of good and evil, meant to explain the oil and gas industry through a new lens. The process of writing, sharing, and receiving feedback becomes a balancing act of its own.
Though isolated when writing, conducting interviews while researching and giving talks after publication thrusts the author into community. My writings reach a literary audience that responds with questions and comments that kept me energized. The literary community, however, is primarily built in the eyes of strangers. To maintain balance it is important to stay connected to loved ones.
Zoom, Skype, and other technologies offer opportunities for distant connections. Becoming a masked grandmother to children in a local immigrant family, helped me cope when unable to see distant relatives. Since being vaccinated, we continue to see each other weekly, only now we can hug and read books in close proximity.
One of the most common complaints I hear is how awful it is not to be touched. I am fortunate to have a wonderful partner to cuddle-one who massages my feet each evening. I know of those who adapted by forming hugging partnerships with friends they felt safe to hold for a short moment of warmth. Many other people I know satisfied their need for touch by acquiring a pet, a warm body to stroke and provide companionship while sequestered-important for maintaining balance.
Living within my means was not a problem for me as it was for those who lost jobs. The challenge to maintain shelter and food requires tremendous fortitude. It is impossible to have a balanced life when one part of life so heavily weighted. It is a luxury to have the means to cope with comfort during a pandemic. I wanted to help others achieve a similar balance. And, though my donations to the food bank increased significantly, and as a lay minister I counseled a few struggling people, I felt bad not being able to do more. I admire the health professionals, social workers, and grocery workers on the front lines.
The pandemic provided an opportunity to learn about myself and the coping mechanisms I use to maintain balance. I imagine most of my readers have been similarly impacted. It would be wonderful if you would take a moment and share your experiences.
Do comment on my blog site below.
4/16/2021 10:05:08 PM
Mother Earth cares for all creatures and wants them to flourish.
Better Than you Found it
A walk in the arboretum took me past a memorial bench for Robert Morgan Cameron-Husband, Father, Scoutmaster, Friend. On the plaque below his name was written, "Leave your campsite better than you found it." I was touched by his words and disturbed because few people heed them.
My partner tells the story of how his father in the 1960s opened a pack of cigarettes while driving and was about to discard the plastic covering out the window as he usually did, when he turned to his son and said, "I better not do this, Lady Bird won't like it." Instead of littering, he put the trash in his pocket to throw in a receptacle later.
Lady Bird Johnson, when First Lady, pushed Americans and Congress to beautify the nation's capital and cities. Deeply concerned about urban decay and pollution, she is quoted as having said, "A little beauty, something that is lovely, I think, can help create harmony which will lessen tension."
Mrs. Johnson believed that pollution, recreation, mental health, the crime rate, rapid transit, highway beautification, the war on poverty, and the nation's parks were interwoven- that affecting one part leads to a reaction that shows up elsewhere. With Lyndon Johnson's support, the Highway Beautification Act was passed in 1965 to limit billboards, hide junkyards, and get rid of unsightly messes alongside America's interstate system. It also funded local efforts to clean up and landscape green spaces. The Johnsons were green before green was popular.
Efforts to improve the country's appearance didn't start with the Johnsons, however. Keep America Beautiful, a Connecticut-based non-profit was founded in 1953. Today there are 600 state and community-based affiliate organizations and more than 1,000 partner organizations. Their goal is to end littering, improve recycling and beautify American communities. They initiated the Great American Cleanup that celebrated its twenty-third year this March. Locally, SOLVE was founded in 1969 to bring Oregonians together to improve the environment. Volunteers implement city and beach cleanups, plant trees and shrubs, and remove invasive species to help habitats stay healthy.
To date, city-wide efforts by dedicated individuals haven't been able to keep pace with the destruction, trash, and graffiti claiming the streets. The pandemic added to the problem by increasing homelessness and creating unemployed people with time on their hands who do not take pride in their environment. With an inadequate number of trash recepticals around town, garbage is found everywhere. People who ordinarily wouldn't litter do so and add to the pollution. I've watched cups and wrappers thrown from cars and busses, receptacles overturned for fun, bags filled with overflowing trash left near park benches and packaging dropped to stay where it lands. Discarded sofas and beds drenched with rainwater line streets. Unconcerned individuals have made too many towns unbelievably filthy. Portland, as an example, is no longer a city to wander through with pride. My town reminds me of visits I've taken to struggling developing countries.
Freedom does not give people the right to do and live any way they want to. They don't have the right to live in filth and make other people sick in body and mind. Rat-infested garbage piling up near homeless encampments leads to hepatitis A, dysentery, and typhus. Thriving rodent populations spread and carry diseases to parks and private gardens.
Do we need another Lady Bird to inspire the nation to leave campsites better than they're found, or are there ways to do something about the problem now? I was pleased to learn that Portland has started paying homeless and recently housed people $20 an hour to pick up trash. Focused on center-city now, they aim to spread outward until the entire city is clean. Workshops are being held to train volunteers in graffiti removal, another problem that mar's my soul and reduces livability.
To replace tent strewn streets, villages with tiny homes equipped with heat, electricity, and locked doors are being built so that homeless people can live in dry, safe accommodations near toilets, showers, and trash bins. The answer is uncertain as to whether they will solve the problem of housing the homeless. Tiny homes may be trendy, but they aren't built to survive years of harsh weather. They are a good, short-term solution that needs to be followed by permanent shelters, counseling, and jobs. Because so many people in our community do care, I am hopeful that we will get there.
Scouting organizations and churches traditionally promoted ethical and community-minded behaviors that families reenforced. Unfortunately, numerous lawsuits, and difficulty finding volunteers plague scouting. Membership numbers have been steadily declining since its high in 1973, so fewer kids are learning to leave campsites better than they found them. Church attendance is also on the decline. Fewer people listen to sermons about social responsibility and moral behavior that reinforce, "do unto others as you would have others do unto you," and "two wrongs don't make a right." Racism is wrong, but so is vandalism.
Without strong leadership, what can we do about cleaning up the environment? For sure, don't litter. But, the burden to reduce litter cannot be entirely placed on the consumer. It has to occur when items are manufactured and marketed. We don't need elaborate, oversized packages made of material that can't be recycled. I didn't need to receive a book I ordered through Amazon in a box that was 10 times its size and filled with plastic bubbles. Too many products sold in markets and hardware stores are in packages that are larger than the item and difficult (near-impossible) to open. In the past, many of these products were not packaged at all.
We can reduce the use of plastics that cause wildlife to die in record numbers. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch spans the entire width of the area between Japan and the United States. It is 7.7 million square miles, mostly plastic floating in the North Pacific Ocean and circles around continually adding trash. Our engineers and scientists should be challenged to come up with solutions that are bio-degradable, and as consumers, we can avoid purchasing plastic items and using plastic bags.
Graffiti has become an underground artform among disenfranchised youth. Somehow, we need to find ways to change their mindset. Defacing public and private property make more people unhappy than happy. There are times that I think the country is too tolerant, for we allow destructive behavior to happen without consequences. Too many parents don't take responsibility for wayward children. By holding families, as well as the perpetrators accountable, and requiring them to join work teams, and fund needed repairs due to their family member's mischief, we are bound to reduce vandalism, graffiti, and littering.
Lastly, as adults, it behooves each of us to become role models for youth. We can all be Lady Bird and Lyndon Johnson advocates for a green and beautiful environment. To live well in the community, we must each leave our campsite better than we found it. This Earth Day is a perfect time to get started.
References:
Social Impact Movement website. 2021. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. retrieved from https://socialimpactmovement.org/what-is-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6-SDBhCMARIsAGbI7UjjXNdbetE7yvgQTc2rGtgY2AbyJAlSupGc34Lo7tavWcC3UdZ7Sa0aAolDEALw_wcB.
PBS website. Lady Bird Johson: The First Lady’s Beautification Campaign. retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/ladybird/shattereddreams/shattereddreams_report.html
I'd like to hear your ideas about helping the environment. Please comment below.
4/10/2021 4:03:58 PM
The way you behave towards others usually reflects the how you were raised as a child. It behooves parents, relatives, and friends to see that children grow up with empathy and know how to act with compassion and good manners.
I Dare You
My husband and I were waiting for the traffic light to change when two young adults crossed in front of our car. As they passed, they banged on the hood, glared through the window, and gave us an insulting hand gesture. Disgusted, we wondered what pleasure they got from aggravating us and why they decided rude behavior was acceptable.
Though this is not the first time I was treated badly on the streets, the encounter made me question where "I owe you nothing" and "I dare you" attitudes come from. No longer do strangers pass by with a friendly nod or say "Nice Day" as they did ten years ago. Courtesy and pride in service have all but disappeared along with helping attitudes learned in scouting clubs, churches, and schools.
I remember a bus driver who went out of his way, idling the city bus he drove while I ran home to get a book I forgot to bring to school. Another time, when I arrived at the Philadelphia airport a few minutes after my plane had left the gate, the pilot stopped on the runway and waited for me to be driven to a staircase hastily put in place so I could board. That was customer service I'll never forget.
When faced with bullies, I can't help but wonder what type of family life they were exposed to as children. Did their caregivers shout and hit them excessively or was bad behavior simply ignored? Were parents too lazy or tired to issue a time-out or to supervise their child's punishment? Did they remind their children to say please when they wanted something and to thank those who helped them or gave them a gift?
Teaching youths to care about others, to aid those who need assistance, and to be considerate is a responsibility many parents ignore. I am especially concerned when adults working away from home are unable to hire caretakers who can manage when their children misbehave. An adult exhausted at the end of a day doesn't want to discuss negative behavior and supervise punishments when returning home. And yet, though it is not fun, an important part of parenting is paying attention to discourteous conduct and not letting it continue.
Children can be self-centered and at times mean, and yes, they do need disciplining from time to time. But parents can't resort to angry responses that serve only to ingrain abusive behaviors they bestow on other people. Good conduct and manners have to be taught without a heavy hand.
At the age of five, my sister was unpleasant to have at the dinner table. Eating with her fingers instead of a fork, she wiped them off on her clothes and created a mess. She resented being told she was dirty and wouldn't comply when asked to use utensils. Rather than punishment, I bought her white gloves to wear during meals and made a game that challenged her not to soil them. The game worked. She got the idea and her table manners improved.
Pets are helpful aids in teaching compassion, an emotion that contributes to developing an empathetic adult. I know of a private high school catering to wealthy, often spoiled children, that assigns freshmen a horse to care for. Through the following four years, it is the teen's responsibility to feed, groom, and exercise the animal and make sure it stays healthy. The teens come to realize that caring for living creatures takes time and effort. The adolescents become attached to their animals as bonds between horse and student blossom.
It is not necessary to go to a private school to get a pet. When my children were young, we had a rotating menagerie of gerbils, fish, dogs, birds, and cats. The kids were required to help with daily care, and though I admit that the animals also required time from me, the effort was worthwhile. A neighbor went a step further when she erected a chicken coop in the yard and asked her children to feed the birds and clean their cages. After a few "why do I have to do it?" complaints, the tasks became routine, and the kids had fun searching for fresh eggs before breakfast. The chickens roamed in the yard while they were outside playing and the children trained them to jump on command. Watching the family chase the hens when they escaped their cage, provided great amusement for the neighborhood.
Small living quarters don't have to stop a youngster from experiencing what it is like to for an animal. One of my granddaughters volunteered for an organization that trained service animals that were taken on visits to seniors in retirement centers. She was responsible for the dog she was assigned. She bonded with her animal and also developed warm feelings for the elders she served. Seeing smiles on the faces of lonely people gave her pleasure and added to feelings of self-worth.
Pets play a role in helping children evolve into responsible, kind adults. They are a stepping stone that guides them to care about humanity. Having good manners evolves from the ability to feel empathy towards other living things. Though children still have to be coached in how to comport themselves in society, the job would be made easier if good behavior was rewarded not only by parents but by family, neighbors, friends, and teachers as well.
An African acquaintance confided that when visiting a school buddy in Ghana, his friend's parents were more strict with him than his own. It was the custom in his country to follow the adage that it takes a village to raise a child. Living in an empathetic society where people show courtesy and have good manners, and enjoying communities where strangers are greeted politely and not bullied, will happen when society recognizes there is a problem we all have to take responsibility for solving.
REFERENCES:
Lipson, G. (2004, 2013) Two Sides to Every Story. Grades 5-9. Teaching & Learning Company a Lorenze Company. ISBN 978-1-57310-439-5. Box 802, Dayton, OH 45401-0802. www.LorenzeducationPress.com.
Black, R (2019) How to Teach Your Children Manners” Essential Lifeskills your child needs to know. Second Edition. Celestial ARC Publishing. ISBN-13: 987-15544679990
I look forward to your comments below.
4/3/2021 1:24:01 PM
Expect the Unexpected
Expect the Unexpected
Crazy stuff happens and you learn to roll with it. The past year was a reminder that much of life is dealing with unanticipated happenstances. In ordinary times, people search for new experiences through travel and by being challenged at work and play. Raising children for eighteen years is another trip into unanticipated territory that calls for fortitude. Confronting barriers that inhibit our goals teaches that patience, perseverance, and a sense of humor are valuable assets for getting through difficult times. The way we manage the past helps to guide us through difficult times like pandemics, natural disasters, and civil unrest.
Years ago, my husband and I embarked on a two-month cross-country tour with four young children in tow. Our route included camping sites at state and national parks along the way. On a hot June day, we piled into our station wagon with rooftop storage bursting with camping equipment, clothing, and car toys. It was a struggle to get organized but we finally did, waking early on departure day raring to go.
As the kids bounded into the car, imagine my shock at seeing my youngest child glowing a bright shade of red. Though a bit lethargic, she was in good spirits, so we proceeded with the assumption that her appearance was caused by excitement. While singing on the turnpike and speeding past farmlands, I noticed her looking more peaked? Turning back didn't appeal to any of us at the time, so we continued onward and stopped at a motel that evening. By the time we arrived, we were two states away from home.
It took one glance the next morning to see her problem. My five-year-old was unusually quiet with a blooming case of chickenpox. Thankfully the older children were immune having already suffered through the illness. There was nothing I could do to make her better except keep her quiet and rested. Since the disease would run its course, the car was as good a place to be as any, but my guilt knew no bounds. I wondered how many people she had already infected and how to keep her away from other travelers as we continued. The following week was not easy. We were sequestered in our vehicle and stayed glued to each other--not an ideal way to start a vacation, but we didn't panic. We managed to keep our daughter isolated and in good spirits as her health improved.
Travel with children brings with it the anticipation that things may go wrong. It is best to start a journey with a "whatever happens is an adventure" attitude. Surprises provide opportunities to embrace workaround solutions.
Two weeks later we crossed the Rockies in Colorado and stopped at our destination camping area to discover it was surrounded by six-foot-high snowdrifts. It was early July and we did not expect it to be bitter cold on the mountain pass. To make matters worse, a windstorm with punishing sleet descended on us. We huddled in the tent while the gale howled and lifted its corners to make me fearful of being blown away. The children were petrified. The occasion required soothing words and parental calmness, something I hardly possessed. Huddled together wearing several layers of clothing, we put a child in each corner of the tent to keep it from lift-off.
We kept the kids entertained with jokes, and my husband grabbed his guitar and started a raucous family sing-a-long, outshouting the howling sounds outside. Late that evening the wind died down and exhausted, we fell asleep. The experience made me realize the value of humor and song in family life. Surviving the evening's storm, we awakened to a crystal clear world sparkling with ice and snow that gave us a Rocky Mountain High.
A few days later I challenged myself by jumping into ice-melt water in a 12,000-foot lake while my children applauded. A five-minute swim was all I could endure, but what surprised me most was how hot I felt when I came out. Blood rushed to the surface of my skin to offer protection from the cold, turning it as red as a cooked lobster. It was energizing and I felt fantastic. After drying off and reclaiming my clothes, we continued our hike and a tremendous surge of adrenaline made me forge ahead to lead the pack. I never tried jumping into ice water again, though I do understand why Polar Bear Club members do so each January. Learning to take calculated risks is a critical skill to acquire. It is helpful when dealing with the unexpected.
Another disturbing situation greeted us on our return voyage. At the entrance to a mid-west campground, we were told of a gypsy encampment on the grounds and warned to watch our belongings. At most camping areas personal belongings could be left on the premise with the expectation that they will be there when returning from a day's outing. Not knowing anything about the group we wondered if they were thieves or simply being ostracized by the camp's owner.
In those days, the word gypsy conjured up mystery and intrigue brought about by movie images. We wondered how they dressed and if they were involved in magic, spells, and exotic dancing? Investigating more closely, we found a compound of 6 trailers positioned around a campfire. The trailers were not in the best condition and looked well-traveled but the people were involved in ordinary camping activities. The children were playing and the adults preparing the evening meal looked harmless enough.
After the owner's dire warning, we did watch our belongings despite the fact that I believed the campground's owner reinforced a stereotype. The encounter made me realize now how difficult it is to shed biases embedded since childhood. The gypsy families on holiday deserved better consideration than they were given. the experience helped me better understand a few nuances of Black Lives Matter uprisings today.
Unexpected incidents, whether tragic or joyful, require mental alertness. Decisions have to be made that involve trust and questioning stereotypical views. An adage says, "travel broadens you and enriches your thinking," and Socrates reminded his peers that, "the unexamined life is not worth living." Though we have not been able to travel broadly during the past year, we have certainly been introduced to new landscapes that made us understand ourselves and society better. To overcome the pandemic, natural disasters, racial protests, and civil unrest we had to reexamine the way we think and look deeply at our prejudices. We were forced to face uncharted territory and give meaning and purpose to our lives.
The year certainly taught me and my friends what was important, who we love, can count on, and miss. It made us aware of the health professionals and service people who kept the economy going and of those who were left to suffer. It was a journey, an excursion that opened vistas to change the way we will behave in the future. We understand more. What will be done with that understanding has yet to be determined.
Do comment on my blogsite https://www.eichingerfineart.com/blog and share your insights and takeaways about the past year.
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Art can be seen on my website at eichingerfineart.com. For information contact me at [email protected]
Hope, Love, Survive, 40" x 30 ", NFS
For information about my art contact me at [email protected]
Hope, Love, Survive NFS
