Another Line to Divide

 One of my favorite films is the 1996 movie MICHAEL starring John Travolta as the arch angel (“he’s not that kind of angel….”) come to earth who lives with a widowed elderly woman in Iowa.  At one point, Michael says, “I invented standing in line. Before everybody milled around, it was a mess. So, one day I said, ‘Why not make a line.’” 

We’ve gotten quite good at making and standing, and yes, even cutting into lines.  During this pandemic journey, lines have been revelatory in the vitality of our society; from a justice standard we are failing miserably. 

 A crisis reveals who one is as well as the character of the collective. Most recently this is evidenced in distribution of the vaccine. We are freaked and clenched. A shot provides an exhale, an opportunity to get back to being with family and friends. Each of us both want and need a vaccine. The roll-out of getting folks vaccinated has not run smoothly, it has lurched, lost speed and left many wondering in earnest if the USA can anymore accomplish major undertakings. 

Yes, we have each been impacted, yet the plan is to follow the designated guidelines. Frontline health care workers, persons who reside in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, the elderly and those with serious health conditions you go to the head of the line. Wealth, connections and the number of strings one holds and can pull should have zero bearing. 

We are not very good with lines. We look to see if there is a shortcut. We go to another place, city, county, state to see if we can get in there. We attempt to bribe someone who may have connections to get us what we want. 

My advice to all of us…. Wait your turn. 

Stay smart. Be safe. Be patient.

Wait your turn. 

As you wait, consider the many in poverty, those without access to computers, the individuals who no one bothers to know and therefore have no one in-the-know to get them into the line. 

Though a surly start, let us focus on the positive actions among us:

·       You go, Alaska for using dog sleds, prop planes, canoes and boats to get the vaccine to folks! 

·       You go, Oregon health workers who on their way to distribute vaccines became stranded along the highway due to a major snow storm and gave the vaccine to fellow motorists!

·       You go, Kedron Health Center in Los Angeles who are barrier busting and making priority the vulnerable without transportation or internet access and computers and going to where those folks are to get them vaccinated.

As we wait our turn instead of pouting or being all pissy, let’s consider the many in poverty, those without access to computers, the individuals who no one bothers to know and therefore have no one in-the-know to get them into the line.  Instead of a line to divide, may we draw a wider circle.

Be in the moment

Based on the premise of the film GROUNDHOG DAY this tardy post will be current because the day just repeats itself.  Do let me know if tomorrow you wake to Sonny and Cher’s song, I GOT YOU, BABE as the old adage “truth is stranger than fiction” may apply.

Is there a day that you would most like to live over…and…over….and over? Personally, there are moments in some pretty spectacular days and experiences that upon reflection contained lessons and light and living-full-to-the-brim that remain front and center in my memory, yet I land on the view of let’s see what’s next and let me learn to be present in the moment.  

 

With social media and the permanently attached mobile phone, is living in the moment still possible.  Can we go old school and just watch and ooh-and-ahhh a firework show?  Can we play with the kids and fully engage with them and let the photo-op drop?  

 

By writing this, I reveal my Maam-ness, yet it seems that previous generations could be present, sit and listen and watch the traffic go by.  Literally, I remember many a summer’s evening sitting on the porch with my Mom watching the cars pass…. not a word was spoken, nor a comment made…. we just were…there…. together.

 

The maternal line of my family has a history of feeding the birds. My dad installed a cement pole, anchored it to the ground and hung the bird feeder he built upon it and made certain to place the feeder in the side yard directly in front of the kitchen window, the place where mom spent so many hours and would watch the birds. It was calming and beauty-filled so much so that I almost wanted to dry the dishes.    

 

I purchased a bird feeder, placed it in the yard and can see it from the kitchen and also my study. The Beale lineage remains strong.

 

My word for the year remains NOTICE…...I notice the red bird so regal and stunning as he sits in the tree as the snow falls and know the other birds have to be envious of his looks.  I notice the bully blue jays swoop in and root for the sparrows who won’t be moved. I notice the squirrels gathering to find a loose peanut and carrying it to another space in the yard and burying it for future feasting. 

 

The days do not repeat. We get one shot every 24-hour cycle. Be in it, noticing, receiving, giving and present.