IDENTIFYING THE YELLOW TROUT LILLY

A series of essays....

THE YELLOW TROUT LILLY

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Around the time your disillusioned heart was sending messages to the brain declaring total failure, and you recognized a breakdown of all that is good, wholesome, and kind in this world, you were certain that life was beyond hope with nowhere to turn...you happen across the Yellow Trout Lilly. 

She was not only beautiful, but you had absolutely no clue as to how she happened to be there. How long had she been commingling with the lofty periwinkle that thickly blanketed the ground beneath two, large burning bushes? Like two loyal, green soldiers, these bushes have flanked the red brick chimney at the shady, west facing facade of the house for years! You had spent time trying to understand why anyone would plant burning bushes along the deep shadows of your little cottage when it’s understood that the green burning bush requires plenty of sunlight in order to ‘blush’ during the crisp and colorful days of autumn.

So, with the help of your husband, it was decided to rectify the situation and rearrange landscaping that you both had not a single clue as to when or by whom it was planted in the first place. Besides, wouldn’t the physical labor alone be invigorating and ease your mind, momentarily, of the spinning world we live in? Anything can become possible within an incredibly impossible situation. You just have to believe.

Pulling, pushing, digging, and struggling to loosen the main ‘earth root’ of the bush, he, eventually, extracts it from its well-established home only to relocate it to a brighter area along the fence line. Change. Will it survive the move? Only time will tell. And, even if it does, there is absolutely no guarantee that it will decide to ‘blush’ later in the year. But, what have any of you got to lose by trying?

BURNING BUSHES HOPING TO SOAK UP THE PRECIOUS SUNLIGHT

That’s when you first saw her.

As you begin to fill the gaping hole left by the root structure of the burning bush, you see underlying, elongated leaves interspersed with the glossy, green periwinkle kind. Suddenly, you discover the ground is covered in what resembles the markings of military camouflage poking out of the landscape like a school of brown trout weaving their way through an imaginary pond of sparkling green waves that has suddenly appeared along the foundation of the house due to the absence of the bushes. Among the mixed greenery, she stands tall and proud at about six inches above the freshly turned soil.

Invasive. Invasive. Invasive. “Tending to spread widely in a habitat or ecosystem. Tending to intrude or encroach. Of or relating to a disease or condition that has a tendency to spread, especially into healthy tissue,” as explained in the American Heritage Dictionary often used for quick definitions and explanations. Is having an invasive plant such a bad thing? Unless, they are meant to be excluded from a healthy garden of perennial plants that would surely be choked by their existence. 

For you, the Yellow Trout Lilly is meant to be wild and free where she can spread her spotted brown leaves along the ground with wild abandon and produce her shapely yellow flower in early spring; destined to mark the multitude of trails that generously cut pathways throughout the state of Michigan for all to walk along and enjoy. But, it was not expected that she be a part of this landscape. She had not been seen here before now, dwarfed as she was by the green-leafed branches of the burning bushes.

We humans were not meant to live safely among this highly contagious virus that has bounded its way into our unprepared world, invading our lives with its kiss of death as it spreads wildly throughout the land. Like the periwinkle vines or even the burning bushes themselves, the mind can’t help but wander into the invasive world of the Coronavirus that keeps us isolated within our own small, pocket of the universe. Statistics have proven that our isolation is curbing the spread of the virus and working well. Relaxing social distancing behaviors now would be a huge mistake. 

Between your own isolation and the frothed messages created by a disillusioned heart, the mind is foggy, you might say, weakened by the truth. Looking death in the face will haunt your sleep and every waking hour for the rest of your life; even after it’s liquid threat becomes less apparent, your only hope is that enough people do the right thing in a timely manner. 

ONE, TWO, THREE!
SHOWING THREE STAGES OF GROWTH.

YELLOW TROUT LILLY,
HAPPY TO BE SET FREE!

Funny how a deadly virus can invade and change lives so swiftly and yet a petite yellow flower, also categorized as invasive, albeit gradually intrusive, thrive among us without right or permission. How different you both are as you enter our lives for the first time; one to insight panic and fear while the other showers its beauty along the earth like a tiny, living jewel.

Her memorable name becomes your current mantra for all that is good, strong, hopeful, and possible during these long days of isolation and general confusion. Identifying the Yellow Trout Lilly has helped to make life bearable. How fortunate you are to have discovered the power she has to help you coexist with your fears. Nature is a beautiful thing.

Be strong and vigilant. We will get through this...together.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

ATTITUDES REGARDING SOLITUDE AND CHANGE

A series of essays....

SIGN PAINTED BY ENIGMATIC STREET ARTIST, BANKSY.
BACKED BY VIEW OF LONDON’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT, SOME BELIEVE
HE WAS COMMENTING ON TODAY’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES.

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

As with many of us these days, it is difficult to secure a personal handle on life, let alone continue to grasp how important our solitude is as the flowers begin to bloom, buds pop-out on previously naked branches, and the weather valiantly tries to cooperate and align with the current season.

Waking up this morning I was greeted by a shared video of Le Mont-Saint-Michel with a person filming their solitary walk along the outer path of this tidal island that is generally known for it’s robust tourist trade and the musical laughter of the locals sharing their tiny spaces with others. Having visited this unforgettable place in France, it was eerily quiet now, with the exception of the cries of seagulls and pigeons as they performed aerial maneuvers between ancient stone chimneys accompanied by the ringing bells of the Abbey. The video tells its own story about our current situation with its quiet eeriness and lack of human jubilance and energy. I thanked the videographer for showing us how solitude truly feels in every nook and cranny around the world.

I know a French woman, born in Paris, who has lived in Indiana for many years and has found happiness in her pictures of local entities that remind her of her homeland. Taking seasonal pictures of a particular set of stone garden steps that lead up to a latticed wooden gate and into a secret garden, allows her to breathe in her past, combine it with her present life, and share the beauty of it all with us. I love how she’s combined French charm with Hoosier living...not always an easy thing to do, as spoken by a true Hoosier, born and bred.

THE VIBRANT TIDAL ISLAND OF
MONT SAINT-MICHEL LOCATED OFF THE
NORTHERN COAST OF FRANCE

                   Courtesy of glcheng/Getty Images

By now, many of us have heard how mountain ranges, not seen for decades due to the deep mask of human pollution, are now clearly visible because mankind has, out of necessity of COVID-19, taken a backseat to Mother Nature. The animal kingdom is claiming back the territory that was once a lush and vibrant ecosystem of long grasses, tall trees, and insects but is clad in hard concrete today, instead.

As penguins meander the quiet streets in South Africa, an elephant plays a game of chicken with a solitary motorcyclist in India, a black bear nonchalantly navigates the driveway of someone’s urban home in California, and feisty kangaroos play ‘hopscotch’ along the deserted streets of Adelaide, Australia, we begin to see and feel how the lack of human dominance is slowly erasing the natural fear of the animals  and replacing it with genuine curiosity. There are no cages or bars to be seen here. This particular zoo is being run via natural order with the physical universe considered as an orderly system subject to natural laws.

Is mankind capable of blending in with the earth’s natural laws rather than the other way around? Will our interpretation of this ‘pandemic attitude’ show us how things were meant to be and evoke change as we humans weave our way back into a world that is healing itself more and more each day? As long as the economy alone takes precedence over natural laws and the unique value of all life in general, the answer to these questions would have to be an astounding...NO!

“Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock.” Consider the reasons for retaining an economically driven, high-end lifestyle from a one-percenter’s point of view with his assets in terms of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and packets of baking yeast. It would be humiliating for them to have to wear a mask, so to speak, and place themselves in the same position as those ‘other people’ who exist so far beneath them. If they accumulate and hoard enough of the items listed above, their personal value and power over the  others will always be based upon their economic stature. What if this attitude of higher importance was currently out of stock and the value of love and kindness became the currency we most valued? How different (better?) our lives might be! 

Believe me, this pandemic doesn’t care who you are! To have so many take on the attitude of people who pretend to empathize with others only to express the complete inability to even fake empathy, correctly characterizes many people we should be trusting in right now.

Our social value can and should be much more than the size of our bank account. Success in our lifetime can and should be based upon much higher ideals and standards. By leveling out the playing field, at least to the point where everyone is healthy, employed, and happy, allows for the stability of the masses and creates a strong foundation for any nation that appreciates all of the people it represents. 

It’s a beautiful thing that we are beginning to value all life on a much higher scale than ever before. With an attitude of self-confidence, we correctly choose solitude and personal isolation over the possibility of spreading a killing virus and compromising life itself as thousands of people from all over the world pass away with doctors and nurses holding their hands in lieu of their own loved ones. Sadly, this is an unfortunate residual of this highly contagious, worldwide pandemic we have been exposed to.

Now that we’ve been given the gift of staring out of the window, mind wandering from this to that, happy to see a neighbor from around the block walking her dog down the middle of the street, and anxious to have the mail truck stop at our mailbox, we feel how different the world is from only a few weeks ago. We have been given the precious gift of observation and the ability to rethink the past, place ourselves in suspended animation, and finally begin paying attention to the real world around us. 

We are resilient. We will rebound from all of this. That will be when the hard part truly begins. Even though the coronavirus is saying that all is not yet lost, our mission will be to learn from its teachings; decide how best to proceed into our new world where we must share the planet and assess our relationship with a natural system much more advanced and unpretentious than man could ever be. We can change our lives, reshape the world based upon mutual respect, and make this world great again!

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay healthy and never stop looking forward to a better world to live in.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

A LOCKDOWN JOURNAL: LIVING WITHIN A STEPHEN KING NOVEL

 A series of essays....

"THE LONGER I STAY HOME, THE MORE HOMELESS I LOOK!"

Courtesy @leskgomemes

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

And so this story goes...

“Awe, for goodness sake! The Senate is at it again. For, at least, the eleventh time, they're investigating Hillary Clinton and the 2012 Benghazi attack, all at the taxpayer’s expense. Don’t fact-check me on that number, but it has to be close. It’s like continually kicking a rock and hoping it will produce blood from a crack you pound into it...before you break your toes!”

“Sorry,” he said, while walking into the room from the kitchen.  “I had the faucet running but caught the last part...how did you break a toe?? Only kidding. It’s just indicative of the way Benghazi has become such an obsession among the conservative rank-and-file. I hear they still sell Benghazi paraphernalia like mugs and t-shirts.”

“ Well, they have nothing else to chastise the Democrats with, so they’re grasping at straws. I am muting this puppy for a little while,” she said. “I need a nice, long break from our ridiculous reality. Let’s go bake something yummy for dessert tonight!”

“Between the two of us, I figure it will take us approximately 250 days in quarantine to complete this puzzle. At the rate of two pieces per day, per person, with one thousand pieces all in various shades of brown, beige, and green...yep, that’s about right. We should have scrapped it from the beginning and gone with more color,” he said, while scrutinizing the tiny piece of irregular shaped cardboard in his hand. “What do you think?”

Turning towards him with a smile on her face, “Sorry. It’s like my rule of thumb with books, you begin one and you finish it to the end. Half read books are not allowed. Someone spent a large chunk of time out of their life writing it. Look, we’re making some progress with the right tower! Think how accomplished we’ll feel when....”

“I know, when we look at the completed puzzle...in about 226 days from now! Are you hungry for lunch yet?”

“Here’s your mask and disposable gloves,” she says, while handing the precious merchandise to him at the front doorway. “I hope they have most of the items on our list so you don’t have to go back to the grocery store for a very long time.”

“The list is short. Besides, you can whip up a grand meal from just about anything, no matter what. We won’t starve even if we don’t have ham this Easter.” Mumbling, “Ham for two, please,” and deeply missing family and friends. He slips the clean, white dust mask over his nose and mouth and says, “I’ll be back in a flash.”

“And I’ll be ready to wipe everything down with disinfectant when you get back...including you, mister. Remember to not touch your face! I love you...!”

FRENCH APPLE CAKE...
"THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!"

“You really don’t want to look outside the window this morning. It’s like April Fool’s Day but in mid-April!” she warned. “It’s like somebody has a really whacked sense of humor.”

“I know. It snowed..overnight, didn’t it? It..won’t last. Ground..is..too..warm,” his voice continues to wane and he slowly covers his face with the warm blanket.

“Oh, winter, just go away.”

“Let’s zoom the kids!” she says, with a warm smile spreading across her face. “It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I’m sure they’re outside in their yard loving the fresh air.”

Chiming in with equal enthusiasm, “Sounds like a plan,” he agrees.

“Oh, there they are, there they are! Hi. How are you? What’s up...I’d really like to give you a big hug and a kiss right now.. But, I promise to be patient.”

“Okay, they didn’t have any yeast, All-Purpose flour, toilet paper, or hand sanitizer, but....I found our favorite ice cream!!! Love you, Babe.”

“Love you, too, Honey. But, will you still love me when you have to roll me out of this house in a few weeks?”

Watching her wipe the box of Wheat Thins down with disinfectant, “I really don’t think we have to worry about that. I was anxious to check if our local store offered more protective measures between employees and customers this time. We were all fairly lenient a few weeks ago. Everyone seems to have improved with masks, gloves, and plastic dividers between cashiers and customers. We’ve got to take this seriously!”

"OH, WINTER, JUST GO AWAY."

“I swear, the longer I stay home in lockdown the more homeless I look,” she says, staring into the bathroom mirror. “Thank goodness I never got rid of my hair bands after sporting my very short cut. They’ve come in handy as I go for a petite pigtail in between showers.”

“Hey, our granddaughter called me ‘Spiky’ the other day on FaceTime. She said I looked like I’d just stuck my finger in an outlet. I guess Papa needs a bit of a trim, too.”

“Well, desperation dictates, my dear. You’ll know how much our wedding vows meant if I have to ask you to please trim my hair. It’s either that or we take down all of the mirrors.”

“Ugh, commercials. I don’t like it when we watch shows that aren’t recorded to watch later!” she says, while moving a little closer to her husband on the couch. “Fast forwarding through the commercials is almost cathartic for me.”

Taking her hand in his, he suggests, “We’ll just mute them and talk instead.”

“We can’t complain during all of this, you know? Technology has kept us in touch with those we love, we have plenty of food and the means to cook it, it would take us a long time to read all of the books we currently own, including the new Stephen King novel, we talk and play cards and put difficult puzzles together all while trying to figure out who we are as individuals and as a couple moving into an unclear future.”

“I couldn’t imagine not having a warm bed to slide into at night knowing that when I wake-up, there’s plenty of clean water and fresh coffee to brew,” he says, smiling. "But, seriously, I can’t believe that some people are afraid to answer their doors because ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is still on the prowl during this pandemic. Inconceivable! Others have lost their jobs only to wake-up not being able to pay their rent or bills, and wondering where their next meal is coming from. Children going to bed hungry, again, night after night.

All of our lives have been changed forever, you know. We're looking at a completely different world from here on out where the word 'normal' has no meaning anymore."

Looking up at him, “I’d say we are extremely blessed. Having said that, being blessed is our motivation to help those who have far less than we do. Don’t you think? What you and I have to decide is what our plan is after this. Then, we can help others survive and move on. There are plenty of options out there. Besides, being retired now makes us flexible and open for just about anything."

“I like how you think.” Planting a kiss on the top of her head, he looks back towards the television and is surprised to see the closing credits of the show they had been watching gliding up the flat screen in tiny, black print. 

“Well, maybe the next time we decide to carry on a serious conversation we should apply the ‘pause’ instead of the ‘mute button,” she says, snuggling into the warmth of his body.

“Thank goodness for On Demand, I suppose,” he replies, as she elbows his ribs in a playful gesture.

Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Reflect.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

MILESTONE BIRTHDAY, JOHN PRINE, AND WAKING PEOPLE UP TO REALITY

 A series of essays....

OUR ATTEMPT TO ORGANIZE A SLEEPING PEOPLE AROUND SPECIFIC GOALS.
YOU HAVE TO WAKE THE PEOPLE UP FIRST, THEN YOU'LL GET ACTION!!!

Photo courtesy EMPA

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

A meme offered by a friend on Facebook this morning struck a nerve in me; one that has been tingling and sending some of us important messages since November 8, 2016. I say “some of us” because a vast majority of us among the left-wing persuasion had either acquired so much faith in the goodness of humanity during the Obama era or, were blinded by the fact that ‘laws’ written into our Nation’s Constitution, would never tolerate stupidity in any form and 45's sorry behind would be removed from the White House in record time. I was hoping that the vast majority of citizens and politicians would not take his actions for long and his hand-picked vice president would just have to do throughout the duration of this presidency. Pence would have to do until 2020 when we could legally make change happen. 

That never happened. The beast was allowed to exhale his rank smelling breath from sea to shining sea right alongside his equally sick and greedy friends in high places. 

Every. Single. Time. An individual or group prepared to mentally or physically challenge his early regime, his minions upheld his rank and status with nothing less than their own lives. Why? Money, status of their own, out of plain fear itself, or a combination of all three? Back then, I don’t think many of us had the exact answer. Hell, we were still in speculation mode! This could never happen to a country as great as ours; a nation built upon a collection of laws and strong principles and enough people who would certainly adhere to these laws through thick and thin, come hell or high water...

Sadly, a saying I first heard in college that has stuck with me all these years comes to mind: Good guys finish last. Or, if you don’t cheat the system, you will always lose the fight. I never knew how real and hurtful to so many the application of this saying would become in my lifetime. 

We knew, for the most part, what was in store for us right from the beginning. Did we wish to believe it? No. We chose to believe in the basic goodness of mankind. This man had been around doing his nastiness for many years. People who worked for him knew him well and even came out in 60 Minutes interviews to offer examples of his hate and acknowledged stupidity as a businessman and failure as a human being. A spoiled brat of a man whose daddy bailed him out of trouble but failed to give him love now sits among us, in the highest office, distributing his revenge upon the little people he has always despised and always feared of becoming himself one day.

But, he just happened to be media’s circus clown, too. His policies and antics guaranteed a good show and great television. The Native American people and friends giving-up their time and health to prevent an oil pipeline running down from Canada and bisecting their precious lands certainly knew. The false hope he offered to the coal miners and their families in a time when even he knew it was a lost cause but his pursuit of them could guarantee him future votes, have now opened-up their eyes enough to know the truth. 

Recalling his extreme ‘Executive Order’ phase beginning his first few days in office, “If people don’t like it, we’ve got to have a country folks. Got to have a country. Countries in which immigration will be suspended would include places like Syria and Libya. And we are going to stop the tens of thousands of people coming in from Syria.” All of this was under the guise of protecting our Nation from foreign terrorists entering into the United States. He knew then what it would take to stir the pot of hatred among his minions and place genuine fear in those of us who disagreed with him on one policy after another.

His total disdain for the well-being of human life in general and the manipulation of those who could and would carry-out his desires of what many of us entitled ‘early on dictatorship’ should have been more apparent and feared from the very beginning. After all, he gave every sign and indication of taking control of the country on his terms and in his time schedule. But, unfortunately, it was a sideshow the media could not give-up on and they followed him to the ends of the earth while verbalizing every phrase, showing each disgusting mannerism, and opening up about his genuine distaste for strong, intelligent women (which we already surmised through Hillary) and his personal experiences of physically abusing woman for his own entertainment.

The meme I alluded to in my beginning thoughts refers to the greatest mistake of ours as a law abiding, people loving nation:  Our greatest mistake has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you’ll get action! It's time to wake-up, go to the polls or write-in your votes in November, and vote him out for good!!  

PRINE IN 1975

JOHN PRINE -- A GENTLE MAN
WITH A HUGE HEART AND A KIND SOUL...

                                  Photos courtesy Tom Hill/Wireimage

As I sit here in my own home, isolated from my children, grandchildren, and friends, listening to songs written and performed by the great John Prine as a mid-April snow-shower blankets the world outside, I can’t imagine a more severe wake-up call than a global pandemic threatening and  taking so many lives. It’s invisible grip has us alone and lonely watching the chaos of thousands fighting for their last breath and wondering if we could be the next number that fattens the statistic column featured in bright red on the right side of most cable channel screens these days.

I can only ask what will it actually take to wake the people up first before we get the action required to shut this scourge on humanity, in the form of a man who could care less about his fellow humans, down for good? A man who not only has never offered comfort to the living members of families now mourning the death of loved ones, but who is actually responsible for their death in the first place by not handling the pandemic with speed and wisdom. Think about that for a moment. 

This man has touted the strength and power of a strong economy from day one. Ironically, he is now personally  responsible for our nation’s greatest economic demise since The Great Depression nearly one hundred years ago, lasting from October of 1929 to 1941! He either does not truly understand that by his actions, along with those of the Republican Party in all levels of government, or his lack of action to subdue this pandemic from its earliest stages, his complacency, lack of caring, and fear of losing his election this year, will always be remembered by his immortal words...”I don’t take any responsibility.” 

For now, I am finding solace in the lyrics of John’s songs that make me laugh, make me think, and make me wonder about my life as a young woman growing-up as a citizen of the Midwest, or the ‘Small Heartland,’ with its amber waves of grain blowing on a warm, summer breeze, taking long walks along the Lake Michigan shoreline holding hands with someone you care about, and living the uncomplicated (even though we didn’t agree at the time) life of a passionate youth hell-bent on becoming whomever they wished to be. 

Today, all I want is an opportunity to have my grandchildren enjoy the same freedoms we often took for granted back then.. Maintain the hope that their innocence is not stripped away from them too soon.. And, pray that they are more selective about the woman or man they vote for to lead and run our country in the future. I would do anything to take back the outcome of the Presidential election of 2016...for their sake, as well as for the thousands of martyrs who have died from complications of COVID-19, including all of the caregivers who have worked so hard to save their lives only to have lost their own in the process.

FRIENDS

I refer back to John, the falling snow, and one of my best friends celebrating her milestone birthday today. At this moment, I will have to find solace in that which I still can enjoy and have a small amount of control over. It will always be the little things that provide us with the happiness we  seek; even when one of those things happens to be helping to organize and ignite a fire under a sleeping people around specific goals. We have to wake-up and find our voices before our opportunity to do so is lost forever. Vote in November!

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay smart and we will get through all of this.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER, WHAT SHALL WE CHANGE? EVERYTHING!

 A series of essays....

THE NEW WORLDWIDE FASHION ACCESSORY FOR
SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN (?) OF 2020

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

“We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another.

Suddenly, Disney is out of magic,

Paris is no longer romantic,

New York doesn't stand up anymore,

the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.

Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons -- and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love.

Suddenly, you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for.

The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it's sending us a message:

You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my master."  — Anonymous Author

The ritual of waking-up early to write intensifies everyday that the morning breaks earlier and the days begin to roll into one another and be renamed Thatday, Thisday, and Whatday is this? Most human contact is encapsulated in small screens and going outside means raking last autumn’s leaves and tending to the flower patches. My goodness, we're going to enjoy some hellishly noteworthy gardens this year...when we’re able to walk openly and get out to see them!

John Prine didn’t make it. Man, that sucks! He was a gauge of hope for me. I remember thinking, “If we don’t lose John, this crumbling world is turning around and the highly susceptible will have given us more hope to carry-on and believe in the strength of mankind and the future.” RIP, John. You are loved. You will be missed.

We won’t remember all of their names like we will John’s. Too many heroes are falling, divesting this world of good people who signed-up to help their fellow man out of the grace and glory of their own hearts. Like an Irish storyteller (a seanchaí), the survivors come home each night and relay their intensely sad and often gruesome stories to those who will listen, only to return, in far less than adequate battle gear, to do it all over again the next day! Their loving efforts and hard work will be remembered forever.

And, there will always be someone like you and me, isolated within our homes, who listen, keyboard at the ready, fingers poised, willing to open up our hearts to the truth and layout our feelings to anyone who wants to read our ideas and opinions. I am humbled by you taking the time to read mine each week.

After reading the story highlighted above, it was important for me to sit down and contemplate the ramifications of each line, every thought and purpose behind the author’s words and how they would and should affect all of us. Essentially, “We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another.” What was black is now white, tall is short, high is low, soft is hard, right is wrong, and fairy tales and children’s stories have been successfully written with even less prompting.

It’s exactly what it’s been like living under the current administration in Washington D.C. for the past four years; an upside down world of wrong versus right and what we were asked to believe in has now turned against us and used as ammunition to strike us down at every turn. The war zone we live in dictates that, “Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love.” Sadly, our lives have changed drastically from what we previously thought to be normal. Ordinary and usual become preconceived notions formulated long ago in another time and a different place.

Certain unhealthy changes have already altered our lives. The price we have had to pay for them is staggering! 

“Suddenly, you realize that power, beauty, and money are worthless and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for.” This makes me wonder why greedy, wealthy individuals believe that their money and power will sustain their health and well-being like some magical, golden cloak slipped over their sleazy shoulders. 

MOTHER EARTH WEEPS

And, the message that Mother Earth is sending us is profound and clear: The Earth will get along just fine without the presence of humans. In fact, the Earth, with her clean water and unpolluted sky, existed much better before we arrived. If humans are shutdown for a while either by their own stupidity or a worldwide pandemic, and are fortunate enough to return to this nurturing planet we called our home...she will be there for us with opened arms but, on her own terms this time around.

So, when we sit down with plenty of time on our hands and the opportunity to ponder the future, let us recognize that life has changed dramatically from even a few weeks ago. The changes are not lost on any of us, including the young children we depend on to help make the future a better place to live, thank goodness. I want their voices to be heard; shouted out loud and clear from every soapbox across the world! And, I want us all to listen intently and with open minds. After all, the poor marks issued to the last several generations should contribute to our willingness to accept their changes.

What has to change? EVERYTHING! The message is out there loud and clear. We must learn to respect. This means to respect everything and everyone around us. Without respect we are nothing. We need to love more and give love to others in order to receive love in return. We must embrace joy, be joyful ourselves, and ignite joy in others by taking great pleasure from life and the world we live in. These are not the simplest things to do. This may not provide a yield of wealth for us with golden coins filling our pockets, however, in and of itself, life will become greatly enriched.

As the new song entitled No Time For Love Like Now by singer and songwriter Michael Stipe implies, there is “No time for love like now. The lockdown memories still remain. When did this all begin to change? I am waiting for you. Whatever waiting means in this new place. I am waiting for you.” 

Loving and being loved doesn’t mean we can’t get angry, loud, or shout from the rooftops!! For me, allowing the anger we feel to fire us up helps to create needed change. In these difficult times, there are no grounds for complacency. We’ve been complacent, fearful of, and tolerant of a man and his presidency that has only served him, one way or another, for far too long!

Fueled by the abhorrent stupidity, greed, and selfishness of so many, we grow weary of extending messages of hope and love fearing that through the death of so many good people, hope itself is fleeting; love is unattainable. But, isn’t the sacrifice for and the pure joy of helping others the ultimate forms of hope and love? Let us learn by example. Learn that by being vulnerable we become stronger and wiser. We must understand that our ‘hugs and kisses’ will soon be needed in abundance and visiting parents and friends should and will always be a great act of love.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and be strong! Get angry and help create positive change.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

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