SPONTANEOUS CELEBRATIONS

 

A series of essays....

PEOPLE CELEBRATE ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY
AFTER JOE BIDEN WAS DECLARED PRESIDENT-ELECT. A SPONTANEOUS
CELEBRATION OF PEOPLE LONG OVERDUE FOR CHANGE.

Courtesy of The New York Times

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Late in the morning of November 7, 2020, the world changed...significantly. Beneath facial-masks were cheeky grins layered with fresh dreams made possible by a Biden/Harris winning ticket. If you believed, how could you not feel a bit sassy and pleased? Four years of tension and anxiety had just snowballed down the ‘Mountain of Lost Hope’ and our collective ‘tears of relief’ were creating orange tinted rivers that flowed out into the mighty seas.

Someone I know and respect as a writer, teacher, and good human being recently posted a meme stating: “Trump is turning America into a Banana Republic.” If she were simply initiating a ‘writing prompt’ for her students, I completely understand that. Instantly, people from all over the world began to negatively comment on this meme and they were plentiful, hurtful, and exasperating. Amanda, the crazies have crawled out from beneath their rocks to concur with this statement. Do they wish the USA to experience similar circumstances in order to justify their own losses? I am here to say that we plan to stay focused and fight like hell not to be led down that rabbit hole any longer.

Democracy is only as good as the people who support it and help to make it work. Yes, it is with great sadness that I understand the last four years have been choreographed by 45 and other dictators and despicable politicians. Many people have suffered the hate and humiliation sponsored by them. We the people have fought long and hard to change the specifics of this passé performance by legally electing a strong and loyal team in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They are already working hard on removing the walls, complexities, and hatred that have been collecting for many years. It’s time to believe...

Our deliberate show of emotions, especially after the past four years of being torn down and humiliated in the eyes of the world, deserve the spontaneous celebrations offered by the oppressed citizens of this country. Do not worry. Our minor happy dances in the streets did not expend all of our energy or leave the coffers of Democracy empty and askew. If anything, our celebratory souls have been renewed and re-energized for the fight for freedom that is ahead of us. 

 

Elizabeth Gilbert, American journalist and author, best known for her 2006 memoir entitled, Eat, Pray, Love, has written all of us a letter specifying how she had battled depression years ago and made the realization that lying alone in bed, not sleeping, not reading, but thinking, was the most dangerous place to be. “Captivated by what I came to call “horizontal thinking”—the worse off I would be. What I cannot do in bed, if I want to survive the treacherous crevasses of my own mind, is think.”

She goes on to say, “I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but here it is: If you are physically able, get up now. Nothing good will ever come to you from horizontal thinking. Don’t let your mind win its most brutal game. You deserve better. Get vertical. Move your mind to a higher altitude where the view is better. You can do this.”

The view has certainly been looking much better, lately. Its vertical heights have empowered us while helping to shake-off the images of anxiety, shame, despair, regret, unworthiness, and past failures in a brilliant  attempt to avoid future catastrophes. For this important awareness alone, we deserve to celebrate. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your words of knowledge and encouragement!

Georgia, Georgia, Georgia—you are definitely on our minds.

We stand close by our President-elect and Vice-President-elect with our spirits uplifted even while acknowledging the fight for logic, freedom, and democracy that’s before us. In great numbers, we will be stronger, better. Rushing in, with Georgia on our minds, it is time to support the Democratic candidates, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, in a double-barreled Senate runoff election to be held on January 5, 2021. The outcome of this race will determine control of the Senate under the Biden administration for its first two years. 

Think again if you believe that Joe Biden alone can change the negative and destructive policies established by the current administration that heavily relied upon the support of Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader of the Senate. Understand how this combination has undermined our freedom and democracy for so long, even during the Obama era. Then, realize how important these two Senatorial runoffs are. With the tenacity, experience, and intense cheerleading offered by a strong, black woman and voting rights activist, Stacey Abrams, we hope to control the Senate as of January 20, 2021, and begin the healing this country so deserves.

We may have had our glorious few moments of dancing tall and joyously in the streets of this great country, but we must now embrace the monumental tasks ahead with grace and dignity. We have been rejuvenated by the examples set by Joe and Kamala along with their brilliant victory we celebrated on November 7th. But, we cannot stop there. 

There is no time for “horizontal thinking!” It’s time to stay sharp, think on our feet, and elevate ourselves from the sinking depths of the past four years. By believing in our right to shake-off false images of hopelessness and despair, together we can and will make this happen.                                                                     

For the love of our country and everyone living here, please where a mask while in public and donate your time, money, and effort into the two Senatorial races in Georgia. With these victories under our belt, the real celebrating can begin!

Congratulations going out to Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and everyone who still believes in fighting for our people, politics, and freedom.

May we begin to experience a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.

Thinking of all of our uniformed soldiers and thanking them for protecting our freedom. May we earn their respect for all of the sacrifices they’ve made to protect and defend our great nation.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

THE REDBUD TREE

A series of essays.....

~~A ROOM WITH A VIEW~~
THE LITTLE YELLOW COTTAGE

 .....as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


The Redbud tree grows wild and free outside my bedroom window. The rising sun has set it on fire as each fledgling bud is bathed in brilliant morning light. Oh, how I love the morning hours.

My Spirit exists within this tree.....

Inevitably, someone will inquire of each of us, "Are you a morning or a night person?" What would you say to them?

"I feel incredibly alive in the early morning hours," I would reply, without a moment of hesitation. The pure, rose-pink light of dawn awakens the senses with its perception of a new beginning that offers a blush of warmth to the new sky like a young girl's cheeks following her 'first kiss.'

The feeling of hope gently spreads out along the horizon like a healing salve of slender tentacles of light inching across both land and sea, seeking every nook and cranny, each foaming wave of water arching magnificently before breaking onto the shore.

My naked bedroom window, like a huge 'eye on the world,' pulls the newborn light into the small room. I stand speechless, in awe of the spectacle materializing both inside and out. Running to retrieve my camera, I stumble back to the bedroom, the old wooden floor creaking with every step, echoing my early morning solitude.

My Redbud tree is screaming, "Get your spring on! Look at me. I am a feast of blossoms; a breath of fresh air after a long winter."

Its presence cannot, will not, be ignored. I have captured its image and beauty to take back home to Florida. I will forever remember the subtle, gentle screams of delight as the rising sun saturates each wild pink bud with its heady warmth and light.

I may not be there when these showy pink flowers, naturally, drift to the ground under the peaceful persuasion of a spring breeze. The picture of my Redbud tree taken that glorious morning at sunrise will remind me that the vivid springtime beauty of the Redbud will always have an impactful effect on my Michigan spirit.

The Redbud tree grows wild and free outside my bedroom window....


Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

MORE RANDOM THOUGHTS...

A series of essays.....

A GRANDDAUGHTER'S PERSPECTIVE AND TALENT
~EASTER GREETINGS TO EVERYONE~

......as seen through my eyes!




 By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

My Mother called it constructive criticism. It was, apparently, something that I couldn't 'take' to save my life.

But, take it we did, my three brothers and I, and it became a way of life for us. It was always like the swift kick underneath the kitchen table requesting our silence when something might come spilling out of our mouths that Mother believed should not.

As if being criticized weren't bad enough, nobody wants to be judged via disapproval, especially by their own parents. Then, suddenly, like a padded glove worn to soften the blow to their own character and esteem, the word 'constructive' was slammed into the mix and coupled with the word 'criticism.' Instantly, they became two 'verbal' box cars united for the long journey down the tracks to the ancient city of 'Discipline.'

No matter how laudable, hopeful, or for the good the aim might have been, the spirit of our youthful actions had been gravely criticized by the two people we loved the most. To this day, I believe that by telling a teenager, "You can't take constructive criticism," represents a gross misuse of the power behind these two unique and important words. Spoken with a bluster of insensitive sarcasm, the best of intents towards deriving positive results almost turns into a threat instead.

While raising two awesome daughters myself, many important lessons had been learned growing up under my parent's roof. Perhaps the most important one was knowing to bite my tongue before telling my children that they could not handle constructive criticism. We do learn from our parent's examples....one way or another. I will chalk it up to 'tough love' and leave it at that.


 



The longest way around is the shortest way home....a proverbial saying of the mid 17th century, meaning that not trying to take a short cut is often the most effective way. By taking that first, single step, our longest journey commences; a brand new beginning.

With emphasis on how important a single decision may be, I always think back on how difficult, at least for me, my husband's choice to accept permanent employment in Orlando, Florida, was twenty years ago. No amount of blue skies, swaying palm trees, or the tide's pull of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico could convince me that leaving Michigan was a good idea. Little did I know, at the time, it was the best decision of our lives.

Escaping the heartache of past economic struggles and reaching out towards the light offered by greater opportunities and prosperity, we were like a young couple once again, albeit in our mid-forties, dancing in the springtime rain with joy in our hearts and hope in our steps. We were happy! We wanted to make one another happy.

The sheer joy of being together, depending on one another, and accomplishing things as a team made us feel alive. Eventually, the gentle sway of the palm trees and the warmth of the sun symbolized that giant first step we both needed in order to understand just what the future had in store for us.

Sure, we played with the possibility of sitting on the porch of a log home in Iron Duff, North Carolina, gently rocking back and forth while sharing tidbits from our day and staring out at an incomparable view of green mountains and gentle valleys. Not a bad way to usher in the golden years. Then, there will always be the desire for, what I believe to be, the benefits of living in France for a period of time. Such beauty and grace set apart from our present society lacking, for the most part, in both.

Ultimately, after twenty years of discovering what mysteries lie within our own hearts, home is calling us back. Unable to resist the siren call of the land, our amazing children and grandchildren, and all of the family we left behind in order to follow a better life, the arrow points north, for better or worse.

The appeal of working together on our 'little yellow cottage' and filling it with good times and our five adorable 'little people' up in Kalamazoo, is pulling at us. Delightfully, by taking that first giant leap, another wonderful journey is about to commence.

The act of terrorism inflicted upon Brussels, Belgium, this week applied another deep notch in the 'tree of life' and is, painfully, questioning our credibility as loving human beings once again. 

We can fight it with all the gusto we can muster, but fear keeps rearing its ugly head from around the tree trunk and life, as we once accepted it, has changed. Even though we say it won't take away our freedom and peace, it has; it won't make us think twice before making that next reservation and traveling to lands yet to be discovered, but it will....to a certain degree, anyway. Inevitability is a tough nut to crack.

It sometimes feels like we're playing an elaborate game of Russian roulette where any act, if repeated several times, is likely to have disastrous consequences. Then I ask myself, is this how you want to live out this beautiful, short time we have to enjoy on earth? Of course not, I say, because being truly free is being free from fear itself.

The martyrs that perished or were injured at the airport in Brussels and while riding the Metro beneath her streets....they did not suffer without a purpose. Their lives matter as much as those of Paris or San Bernardino and their ultimate sacrifice will never go unacknowledged or taken for granted. It is precisely because they unintentionally gave up their lives for our freedom, we owe it to them to be grateful and forever conscientious of their gift to us all.

We will keep purchasing our airline tickets (if we can afford to) and utilizing the precious use of the Internet to pick and choose the perfect accommodations for a day, a week, in the future. We will anticipate meeting new people and familiarizing ourselves with their way of life. I will hear new stories, see new sights, and I will continue to write about them for the pleasure (My intent, anyway!) of all to read and enjoy.

And that, my friends, is true freedom!



                                                                                    

FEAR IS OVERRATED

Fear is overrated
Akin to stress and woe
With its odd angles and dimensions
It will infuse into your psyche
Injuring the Spirit and the Soul

Stand tall and proud this very day
Employing common sense and love
Defeating all of the hate-mongers
Demigods hell-bent on destruction
Profiting from our pain

We've been there before and we've done that
It's time to change our course
Let peace and tolerance navigate us
Into a mindset far away
From bigotry, death, and war

If some must hate, then let them
Sometimes there is no recourse
But keep them in our hearts and prayers
For, in the end, life's burdens
Will seem lighter upon our shoulders

Now close your eyes and hear the sound
Of peace and calmness gathering
Into your mind, body, and soul
Like liquid love, it flows and ebbs
Within you and without

Relaxing deeply, concentrate on
A world free of fear
Place hate far away from you
And allow the feeling of happiness to
Open up all possibilities

You will see that
Fear is overrated, akin to stress and woe
Focus on the positive; eliminate the negative
Infuse love throughout your being
Allow its power to grow



HAPPY EASTER TO YOU AND YOURS....



Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

INNOCENCE....Another Word For Freedom

A series of essays.....

~~~LYDIA~~~

 














.....as seen through my eyes!



INNOCENCE.....

is simply another word for freedom. Free of guilt, sin, moral wrong, with the lack of knowledge of evil or wrong doing. Generally associated with the very young and the naive, we visualize youth as not having been tainted by the negativity of life itself and walk the earth within a shell of purity and bliss. My aching heart cries for the loss of childhood innocence in so many places around the world: Syria, Africa, India.....the mighty United States of America. 

Tears roll down my face and I ache for this blatant, selfish, unnecessary theft of pure innocence and freedom. I am ashamed of mankind. We have failed to evolve. We have ignored our gift of intelligence and placed greed upon the altar to be idolized, worshipped, and adored. We have put our children's lives at risk. And, the most grievous part is that many of us will not admit to it. A blanket of ignorance will never be good enough to cover-up for the lack of simple common sense.

There is a freshness that surrounds the truly innocent. Like a cool mountain breeze that gently skims across our skin or the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread cooling on the countertop as your Mother hums a simple tune in the kitchen, innocence is captured. With this freshness comes possibilities. With this innocence, dare we dream of hope?

"Those who are incapable of committing great crimes do not readily suspect them in others," wrote La Rochefoucauld, a French writer and moralist, in the late seventeenth century. Most of us continue to conduct our lives believing in the good of mankind, discounting the rumors of guilt-laden souls filled with cunning, guile and senseless hate for other human beings. Most of us are incapable of 'great crimes.' We, too, are the Innocents. We often hear the phrase that 'no one is perfect' and understand it epitomizes the essential characteristics of people we love and admire the most; people with kindness in their hearts, but never claim the essence of perfection within their own lives. They learn and grow because of their mistakes. They love life and fill the lives of others with joy. "If we had no faults of our own, we would not take so much pleasure in noticing those of others." ...Rochefoucauld wrote.

"Is Man kind? Are we good? Look through their windows so that you can understand their views. Set at their tables so you can share their tastes. Sleep in their beds so that you may know their dreams. Find out just how kind the he's and she's of this mankind are." .....Courtesy of airbnb. Let us travel this breathtaking world and introduce ourselves to its he's and she's and share and compare our knowledge with one another to help preserve our Earth and keep Her safe.

BREAKING NEWS:

Even the Innocents are questioning the souls of others today! As I write this essay, I am being alerted about two innocent lives that have been taken from us in Moneta, Virginia this morning. Two victims of senseless violence. BREAKING NEWS: Reporter, Photographer Shot & Killed On Air In Virginia..... What can I write or say right now? What could possibly make any sense from this heinous act of violence against two innocent beings delivered by another? May God bless and keep you, Alison Parker, twenty-four years young, and Adam Ward, twenty-seven years young.

My heart is crying.

It's funny to me that all of the pounding negativism I was feeling thirty minutes ago as I was beginning my story has not been ramped-up by this 'act of hate' against Alison and Adam. Extreme acts of sadness affect each of us differently and I am a bit bewildered by my own emotions at this moment. I am calm, focused and tied to the earth.....as if my body has become one with nature and my soul is at peace with the world. Crazy.....given the circumstances. It's as though my life is honoring the two lives that have been taken from us and for now, I am one with their spirits as they leave this world and go on to the next.

What a truly engaging experience for me.

I am sure there will be time for numbness, contemplation of reality and questioning of motives in this case.  The understanding of it will take so much longer, if ever, I fear.

Thinking back to the young innocents who began my story today, I believe that their freedom from guilt, sin and moral wrong has a timeline that continues to dwindle with each school shooting, theater massacre, and 'attention based' killing that takes place. Circumstances that are certainly not beyond our control are shortening their freedom and elongating their fears at such extremely young, vulnerable ages. As adults, it is our responsibility to protect them and allow them to be carefree longer. I understand that we can't hide them in their rooms until they're thirteen. But, we can assist in regulating the weapons used in these crimes, as well as help educate others as to how and why these weapons must be properly controlled.

I offer you a few excerpts from a book entitled 'Abstract Poetry 4Life' by Deneene A. Collins that stretches the imagination and challenges our protective abilities when it comes to our children; our lives: "If I were a bee I would sting to protect everything important to me including my sweet, thick honey..... Though a sting may hurt you temporarily, it kills the very bee that makes the choice to sting you permanently. So never think that it is something a bee wants to do but realize it is only what they feel they have to do. Humans sting each other all the time with hurtful words, foul actions, and vicious lies. If your sting would take your life wouldn't you think twice before imposing ill actions on another?"

Most importantly, we must teach our children how to love.....  Learning to love one another, in the basic sense of respect and kindness, should be the number one priority of each of us, ranging from birth to the day we finally leave our earthly home. I may sound like a broken record when it comes to this mind-set, however, I ask you, if the repetition of something so basic and simple can help to reinforce and support the freedom we all deserve, would you be tired of hearing about it? Love is the key to opening all doors. Allow it to open your heart.

In Loving Memory of Alison and Adam.



Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

BALANCE

A series of journeys.....

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes




BALANCE

is a means of maintaining a state of equilibrium within our life. We balance the pros and cons before making our final choices in everything we do. By asking ourselves the right questions, the final answers may determine many incredible life changing decisions. We consider, compare and assess until what is right for us peaks from around the heavy velvet curtains that have been blocking our view of reality and we are reasonably able to come out on to the open stage and perform in front of the world....for better or worse.

To have achieved true balance in your life is to have attained the proper definition of freedom......unrestricted and able to move, think, speak, imagine and believe without constant fear of rejection or malice. With this achievement comes responsibility. We become guides or role models, if you will, for others to look upon with hope mixed with a measure of envy....in a way....for to have reached such enormous heights, become stable in one's mind about personal feelings and obtain pure peace in our hearts, is indeed enviable. We now become the teachers and it is our responsibility and duty to guide others along the paths that will, hopefully, lead them to a destination of true balance in their own lives, if their desire for it is genuine and honest.

As in design, a harmonious arrangement or proportion of elements within it serves to please and heighten the senses, may it be in nature, art, decor, architecture, landscape.....we see a purpose to flatter and exhibit shapes and forms, collections and colors in such a way as to achieve a balance of nature in a world filled with, otherwise, human imbalance. A world often overshadowed by bias, lopsidedness, unfairness and inequality....human elements that only serve to corrupt the beautiful, natural design generously offered to each of us as we enter and re-enter this world. To eventually alter this gift of balance or to keep it intact is a decision we humans end up having to make....an exercise in free will. Wrong or right, through thick and thin, with contempt or respectfulness for others, these are for us to choose between no matter how fierce or practical outside influences can be.

If love be a counterpoise to hate, shall we reason that both emotions are needed to strike a balance? To be able to absorb one emotion, it is necessary to experience, breathe-in and feel the opposite one and embrace each with every fiber of our being allowing time itself to become champion of the cause. Look into the symmetrical energy of the face in front of you, your child, your partner, your friend and even your  enemy. See first hand the beauty and harmony combined to form a proportionate arrangement that is pleasing to the eye and the senses. Encounter the unique power we have to discern by way of our own values and emotions the measure of our hearts and strike that balance needed to push us forward; make us stronger, more understanding and, ultimately, whole.

Listen to the rhythm of your beating heart. Drink in the beauty that surrounds you with open eyes and challenge yourself each day to extract pure joy from a mundane, earthly existence.....absolute love from a life of spiritual well-being. Combine them, stir them together to create a potent elixir and drink deeply from this cup for its contents is certain to provide you with an abundance of happiness; a life crafted and creatively balanced by personal experience and conviction.





Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

SCULPTURE: Caracole ~ 2014
ARTIST: Nadine Fourré
PHOTO © Jacqueline E. Hughes