Over the weekend, winter came in, in earnest. Falling temperatures, snow, icy sidewalks, clouds hovering over the relatively warm lake. This "pregnant" lady (see previous post) is glad in many ways, having already become a relative homebody, and even though there were the requisite glitches and new daily considerations. Do I wear my ice grippers on my boots? Do I leave them off but carry them in my tote bag? Is it windy enough to need multiple layers? How do I time arrival at my bus stop so that I don't stand in the cold too long? And, first and foremost, do I absolutely need to do such-and-such an errand? Between COVID, icy streets, no car, and my natural inclination to "consume" relatively little, this winter of 2020/21 gestation period is definitely is well-timed.
I have finally accepted that the questions on the minds of many modern humans are simply not the questions on my mind. This came up a few blog posts ago, but the contrast is becoming more and more acute every day. Is the question really, how do we open up the supply chain? Or is it, why do we need all this stuff? Is the question really, how will we get all the things we need for holiday celebrations? Or is it, how do we adapt and make holidays more about people and sharing insight, support and love? Is the question, how do we protect ourselves from the world's most visible present dangers (COVID, other diseases, terrorism, gun violence, environmental catastrophe)? Or is it, how do we walk forward fearlessly, and with love, no matter what surrounds us? Is the question, how do we get what we need, or is it, how do we train ourselves "to need" less?
All the challenges facing us, individually and collectively, are ultimately spiritual questions, not material ones. It's easy for some of us to dig far under the surface to find deeper meaning, harder for others. And it's painful being able to see so much and to understand things so differently, and constantly live out-of-kilter with the world. But my hunch is, there are many of you like me, and hey, folks, this is our time. Our questions, so long ridiculed and ignored, are valid now. They need to be asked. We are entering that kind of pivotal time.
