Runaway train

Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 1:03 pm (Writing by Ear)
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“The world is too much with us.”

That quote crossed my mind yesterday out of nowhere and started a whole train of thought.

The engine: Ain’t that the truth. So much of our amazing brainpower, our thoughts, our very lives is consumed by the incessant chatter of life in this world. Driven by a constant stream of consciousness aboout what you did, didn’t do, should do, might do, need to do, hate to do, can’t do, won’t do, forgot to do, what, when, where, why, how, on and on. (The world is absolutely too much with us.)

A hopper: How do I turn it off? Imagine how lovely it would be to dump that load you’re carrying and just BE for a while. Relax and enjoy the summer sunshine. Contemplate the clouds. Drink a glass of lemonade. Watch a bee. (And all without thinking — oh look at those weeds and that branch needs trimmed and that bare spot needs more grass seed and there’s that shrub to plant and I need to pick off those Japanese beetles like the gardening blog said and it’s time for more fertilizer and the petunias need deadheading and…)

I know, that’s the whole point of meditation. But who has time for that? (The world is too much with us.)

A boxcar: Whoa, where’d that come from? Literally. What is that, Shakespeare? (I’m sad to say I had to look it up and discovered it’s Wordsworth.) It’s amazing how many little quotes and sayings and snippets we carry around with us. (Mostly hidden because the world is too much with us to think or contemplate profound thoughts very often.)

A passenger car: Remember how summer used to be? Three whole months of freedom and you along for the ride. Sleep in, stay up late, chase lightning bugs, read books, drink Kool-Aid (preferably orange), play with friends, get bored doing nothing — all the things you wish you could do now. All the things we really need to do to stay sane, but can’t. (The world is too much with us.)

The caboose: Can I make it less? Can I mute the inner noise and go outside for a while? Can I leave my desk and enjoy this gorgeous day? Or will I only keep worrying about the e-mails I’m missing, the chores I should be doing, the calls I should be making, the bills I should be earning money to pay, the desk that needs clearing…the world that is too much with me?

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.–Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
                   ~ William Wordsworth (c.1802)

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Steps!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 1:07 pm (Cottage Industry, Heavy Clay)
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I get so out of sorts when I haven’t posted for a while. More than a week has gone by — a family visit, a holiday, a few fun day trips, plenty of work (home & garden and the paying kind), a lot of good food, some ups & downs with my mother. Nothing earth-shattering — just life as we know it.

But, I did want to give a quick follow-up to Wall!

Yes, the contractor finished the steps to our satisfaction (mostly). What a treat to have easy access to the back yard! We still need to cap off the top corners where Mike wasn’t pleased with how the top step juts up over the adjoining wall. We’re scouting out a decorative feature to put on either side as well. And adding stepping stones or some other transition between the top step and the grass. 

We worked like dogs in tropical humidity once the steps were done. Mike filled in both sides with 2 truckloads of topsoil and I moved a bunch of plants around, readying the space for a new look. The birdbath fountain we bought last year on clearance finally made it out of the box (and promptly started shedding its Chinese paint, sigh) and I got a few new things planted, including the poor little tree we’ve had in its pot for weeks and weeks. There’s lots more space to fill — you know what that means, another trip to the garden center — or two or three. Yay!

 In summer, the song sings itself.
         ~ William Carlos Williams

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Same as it ever was.

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 11:33 am (Writing by Ear)
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On the road to the airport yesterday morning, I heard an NPR story about Hilary now having to pay back her massive $22 million campaign debt. It talked about how Obama would likely participate in fund-raising on her behalf for that purpose (and I just read that he and Michelle contributed $2300 personally to “the cause” — ain’t that swell), and that Hillary had given her own campaign $12 million. The commentators talked about how it would be a tough sell — people want to support their party’s run for office, not pay off the losing candidate’s debt.

What struck me most was the $12 million donation. (Also had a chuckle about her being known by a one-word name — like Cher or Madonna — obviously the Clinton part is more of a detriment than an asset.) Seems the Clintons are worth $34.9 million and have earned $109 million since leaving the presidency. The McCains are worth $40.4 million. Modest in comparison, the Obamas are worth $1.3 million. (I heard a comment from Obama last night that they are as close to middle class as you will ever see running for president. I scoffed at that, and still do. I saw the same Obama commercial at least 5 times on TV in a one-hour period. How are we going to survive the next 5 months of election bombardment — especially as he starts spending his cajillion campaign dollars?)

Truth is — all of these people are millionaires. I’m not a millionaire — can’t fathom being a millionaire. No one I know appears to be a millionaire (you don’t really know how much money people might have). So, with all the talk about how far we’ve come to have a woman and an African-American vying for president, how far have we really come? None of these people can possibly understand what it’s like to be me, or to be the vast majority of Americans. All the rhetoric about “feeling your pain” and angst over rising prices for food, gas, shelter, utilities, health care — it’s laughable. It’s not affecting these folks one bit.  

It’s the same as it ever was (do the Talking Heads arm chop with me) — Washington is about people of wealth and privilege, jockeying for power and position, and spending the $2.6 trillion collected in taxes (44 cents of every dollar of that from individual taxpayers like Mike and me) however the heck they want. It’s not about me or you or our reality.

Now get back to work. You have taxes to pay.

Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have
come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. 
                                                       ~ Ronald Reagan

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