Even in a Peaceful Place

The Wellness Center where I have my chiropractic and acupuncture sessions is a very peaceful place. Quiet music plays throughout the small building. Voices are usually kept low in order not to disturb massage or acupuncture. The energy is gentle and peaceful. 

This morning, just as I was called into a room for chiropractic, a man whom I have seen there before, burst in the door, saw the other man sitting there, and started venting his anger about the NFL players taking the knee during the National Anthem. His energy was all over the place, bouncing off the walls and swirling around the room. 

Being in another room, only one wall away though, I was away from the immediate impact of his energy and I still had to sit still, center myself, drop a fresh grounding cord and surround myself with silence. He was so angry and so loud. The other man’s ideas agreed with him but he was quiet and 

stated his position reasonably. Although I disagreed with them both, I could have had a conversation with the one man while the other was almost scary. His angry energy was incredible. I don’t think I have heard anyone that angry in a long time. 

Truthfully, I am grateful I had been placed in a treatment room. I do wish I had had an opportunity to thank the other man for being so quiet and rational and peaceful in his opposition to my opinions. We are not going to change the other’s mind and I would like to have heard his story. 

I Kneel

I have been trying to decide what is in my heart around this “kneeling during the national anthem” controversy. I had just about given up trying to find the right words when they were said for me. Representative Sheila Jackson (D-Texas) knelt in Congress with these words:

“I kneel in front of the flag and on this floor, I kneel in honor of the First Amendment, I kneel because the flag is a symbol for freedom, I kneel because I am going to stand against racism, I kneel because I will stand with those young men and I’ll stand with our soldiers and I’ll stand with America because I kneel.”

Thank you, Congresswoman Jackson! This 74 year old white woman kneels with you. 

The Old Dude and The Pilot

We have heard wonderful rescue stories from the hurricanes and floods. They are amazing and great. There are other rescue stories to be told from the fires in other parts of the country. This is one of them told by Meredith with a bit of editing by Susan.

I (Meredith) got to tour an airplane called an albatross. It's an old Indiana Jones/Casablanca-esque aircraft, oozing old school romance and adventure.

Why did I get to tour it, you ask? Good question; let me tell you. The 76-year old owner of the albatross is also the owner of a house that was in the line of a fire not too long ago. He was pretty much convinced he was going to lose everything, until a Chinook came over the ridge and doused the previously undousable fire, saving The

Old Dude's house and everything in it.

So Old Dude wanted to thank The Pilot, and figured, as a pilot, he must like aircraft. And brought him an albatross to look at. BUT! The other reason Old Dude wanted to give him a BIG thank you was because Old Dude had a favor to ask of said pilot, yes, even above and beyond the saving of the house. Turns out, as The Pilot had been saving Old Dude's house, Old Dude had been taking pictures of pilot saving old dude's house. And Old Dude has had those pictures printed up and enlarged to 11x17, to be framed and hung on the walls of the house that didn't burn to the ground ~ and Old Dude wanted said pilot's autograph on the pictures. Old Dude recognized that this was a big favor (??????) and so wanted to offer a big thank you, and did said pilot think a tour of an albatross was a big enough thanks? Spoiler ~ yes, yes the albatross was enough. The albatross was unnecessary in this context. 

Said pilot saved said house three days before said old dude's 76th birthday. "You gave me my home and all my memories for my birthday..."

It's a Mouse!

I don’t know if this is just me or if this demonstrates the difference between male and female brains. When they work on a car at Jiffy Lube, after you pay your bill they take you to your car, lift the hood and show you that all the little tops are tightened down. Great! I really appreciate that. 

So, I am checked out and Don has taken me to the car, opens the hood, I immediately back off and say, “Get rid of the mouse, please.” He had to look for a second to find the little dead body up in the corner. He gets a cloth, removes the mouse and comes back apologizing profusely that none of them had found it earlier. 

My take: they were all men concentrating on their mechanics. I am a woman and if you open anything that has a dead mouse inside it, I will notice it At Once! Whether that is just me or we can generalize to male and female brains, I have no idea. I just know, Don opened the hood and there was the mouse, seen for the first time all day. 

A Sign of the Times

Daughter Michelle works for the Ashland Oregon School District. Today they received an update:

"With no dissipation of smoke overnight the one-hour DEQ reading for Ashland remains very unhealthy and the 24-hour reading remains hazardous. The guidance of the Oregon Health Authority and DEQ have now clearly stated that we should us the 24-hour reading as our guide as there has been no outdoor fresh air to pull from to circulate within our buildings." ASD website

What does this mean?

DEQ is Dept of Environmental Quality. It means Michelle's kids don't go outside without their expensive masks; buses have to keep their windows closed in 103* heat; schools are providing masks for staff and students who want them and all outside activities and field trips have been cancelled. For Michelle's family - given Akira's having had that horrible bout of pneumonia two years ago and Trinity's having asthma - it means they will probably stay home from school now that Hazardous level has been reached and until the smoke dissipates.

These hang next to Michelle's front door.

When I asked if I could post the picture and the conditions, she said, "Yes, but please add how aware and thankful we are that we are merely inconvenienced. Neither fire nor flood has threatened us, and we are safe and sound in our home. Prayers for all for whom this is far more of a painful and tragic reality."