May the sun bring you new energy by day,
may the moon softly restore you by night,
may the rain wash away your worries,
may the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
– Apache Blessing
In this beautiful Apache blessing, nature is a kind and friendly idyllic and lyrical friend. The sun brings energy, not skin scorching dryness and drought to the land. The moon is soft and restorative, not hidden in darkness or obscured by storms. The rain is gentle, not pelting or the source of devastating floods. And the breeze gives strength.
Balmy breezes are one thing, but the relentless gusts of the past few months in Santa Fe are downright unnerving. I cannot sit outside with my MacBook Pro and do my work in the sunshine – writing and tanning simultaneously is my favorite form of multitasking. Safe inside the house, doors whistle, dust infiltrates, lips are parched and eyes irritated. The fireplace makes whoomping sounds. And it’s no good for peeing outside, I am informed by a man.
It is Memorial Day, when we usually have a barbecue in the evening and eat al fresco on the back patio, celebrating what is the unofficial start of summer. Instead, we shutter ourselves from the buffeting wind, groan at the forecast for continued “high winds,” express hopes that a forest fire is not ignited by some careless fool, and resign ourselves to what we cannot control – the forces of nature – grateful, at least, for our refuge from it.
As ever, the only thing we can control is our own thoughts (remember you always have a choice: “Don’t believe everything you think!”) and actions. So even though the winds are incessant and annoying, I can look out at the blue New Mexico sky and comfort myself with the thought that “everything changes and ends.”
I can think about what Memorial Day means to me, and how we would much better honor those who are willing to die in senseless wars by ceasing to create those wars. We also can honor ourselves, and whatever hopeful future we might imagine, to stand up to the lies and platitudes of our government and ruthless corporate interests that are seriously eroding our freedoms and justifying the oppression and destruction of people and living things all over the world. There is so much beauty and joy to be experienced in Life, but they require freedom of creative expression and communication; our freedom from the insane destructive forces that control the politics and economics of the planet.
If you doubt that our freedoms are on the decline, watch this video, shot at the Jefferson Memorial of all places. And then here’s the story behind it, the worthy challenging of mainstream press through non-violent activism. I’d love to hear your thoughts below.
May you walk through the world (no matter what the weather) and know its beauty all the days of your life!
i love this post. it is passionate, realistic, ruthless, tender, smart, savvy and true. thank you!
Aysha–very well put. And the video is pretty shocking. Who says that when we go to a national monument/memorial we have to be silent and put our heads down? Why not express a little personality through dance? Who writes these absurd rules?
It’s interesting that the National Park Service describes the Jefferson Memorial as “a symbol of liberty and endures as a site for reflection and inspiration for all citizens of the United States and the world”. I guess someone forgot to tell the employees.
Jann, I think that’s the point: there was no legal basis on which the police could act, except the “Patriot Act” that gives total authority to police at all levels and military to act without and beyond the law, in the name of keeping “us” safe. But safe from who?