farewell, and thanks

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

~ Robin Williams ~

on 2012: notes from an eternal optimist

I've been giving a lot of thought to the various prophecies about the world ending in 2012. Some of my friends are deeply troubled by these predictions and are taking steps to prepare for dire circumstances they are sure are coming. They see the strife and hardship and natural disasters and anger that has been building in the recent past and believe these occurrences to be a fulfillment of ancient and not so ancient prophecies that foretell the world ending in a great cataclysm of fire and brimstone.

Anyone who reads a newspaper could tell you it doesn't take a scholar to figure out that we could very easily destroy the world many times over with weapons we already possess.

I believe that in these ancient prophecies told and retold for countless generations, there is a kernel of truth.

Sometime long ago, it's possible that a gifted and wise person foresaw an end to a way of life that would eventually become unsustainable, and, as in a child's game of "telephone", the prediction was embellished and misheard, and retold again and again and again, until the message became something vastly different and very much darker, than the original version.

{cartoon borrowed from this site}

Eternal optimist that I am, I believe we're on the cusp of something big. The world is experiencing huge growth and change. And as any parent of an adolescent will tell you, rapid growth and change is not always easy. In fact, it can be downright ugly.

As the parent of two former adolescents, (who have turned out quite well, I must say) I can assure you that--should we manage to live through mankind's adolescence--the best is yet to come.

Here's a video that sums it all up much better than I can:

Wishing you peace, prosperity, health, happiness and good will in the coming year,
your ridiculously optimistic pal,
Petunia  

i'm not buying it

It's  a crazy, crazy time we're living in...a time where people all over the world are rising up and protesting corporate greed and manipulation in large numbers - risking arrest and personal injury to send a message that it is MOST. DEFINITELY. NOT. okay for corporations to make huge profits at the expense of  the very people who buy their products.

On the other hand - many, many Americans will be abandoning their family tables tomorrow evening to shop until they drop, instead of spending time enjoying a holiday in which we are supposed to be giving thanks for all that we have.

Many retailers will be open for business on Thanksgiving this year. This is not new. For years, most supermarket and drugstore chains have had at least limited hours on Thanksgiving, but this has historically been more about getting last minute items like whipping cream or pepto bismol  than deep discounts on flat screen TVs or the latest must-have video games.

A Macy's spokeswoman said “There are many associates who would prefer to work this time as they appreciate the flexibility it affords their schedules for the holiday weekend." And a spokesman for Target said, "...we've heard from our guests that they are excited." 
Target evidently didn't bother to ask their employees how they felt about working on Thanksgiving. One of them started this petition.
At least Brian Dunn, the CEO of Best Buy said, "I feel terrible", about having to open on Thanksgiving.
Huh.
I for one, am not buying it.

I'll be hanging out, enjoying the holiday with my good friends and family, for whom I am incredibly thankful. And I won't even be anywhere near a Walmart or Target or Best Buy or Macy's.

Here's wishing you all a happy, healthy and all around wonderful Thanksgiving.

swept away by an emotional tsunami

Watching the events unfold around the world: revolution in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain; earthquakes and tsunami in Japan and New Zealand, all paralleling the footsteps of demonstrations in London, in Italy, and Wisconsin. I'm overwhelmed and saddened by the depth of the tragedies- the lives lost, the sacrifices made. Each day seems to bring more tragedy and upheaval, and I have to wonder how we humans will survive. I hope we can find the strength to carry on, to change and grow and learn from our massive mistakes and lapses in judgement. I know we have the tools. I pray we have the will to succeed.

wordless wednesday no. 19: where does the time go?

wordless wednesday no. 16

menden ponds reflections

Early summer morning at Menden Ponds, near Rochester, NY... A surprisingly busy place, with birds chattering, insects buzzing and frogs ribbitting. And despite all that activity, it was the still water that became a mirror of the day.

Reflective is the mood of this photograph. Carmi over at Written Inc. sets the tone each week with Thematic Photographic. Click over and see who else is playing.