Christmas of 2008 is here and with it comes a new Gift, something quite different from recent years past. This Gift has presented itself to our society in an era when fast-paced lifestyles create a blurring activity of doing, getting, having. It is a different kind of Christmas this year with the gift of Simplification all around us… What a relief!
This Christmas, it is time to notice, to step back… and let go. The events of the times have slapped us with the reality that the direction we were traveling was not taking us where we really wanted to go. Too many sacrifices along the way…. The priorities shifted and something got lost along the way while the quest for bigger and newer and more became more of an addiction than a sign of prosperity. Families hardly spend time together while meals are grabbed on the go often prepared for us by total strangers. Attention to whatever electronic device is in a person’s possession at the time has replaced the friendly “hello” and smile to a stranger in passing. It seems that a simple polite greeting is too much to ask of us in our distracted and self-absorbed minute-by-minute existence!
But alas, we are now in the core of a pivotal age… where the unknown lies ahead beckoning us to move along - shedding all that was familiar and find trust in what will be. It is uncomfortable to say the least. The things that we placed so much importance on seem to be crumbling away before our eyes. We have worked so hard to achieve a certain direction and now it seems to be going nowhere. Uncertainties seem to crop up everywhere we turn.
Amidst the doom and gloom on the evening news, it is easy to miss the Gift at hand. The suddenness of the changes has created the catalyst for a new beginning. Thought processes have altered their course and attitudes are changing. Space and Time can be put to use in new ways. New Ideas can take hold that were not even considered six months ago.
The future may hold a way of cycling back around to some important values that were lost along the way. Visions of parents and grandparents teaching adult children how to cook come to mind, families sharing more dinners at home. Gratitude for more workdays and paychecks even if the check is smaller than before. Time… the Gift of Time… We have time to look around us and see what makes our Earth a better place. The time is here for planting gardens and buying fresh food in season. Reusing has now become a popular new trend. Reuse what we already have instead of the constant quest to replace with newer and better.
It is time for us to collectively take a chill pill and calm down and just listen, notice, and question. This is a “calling” so to speak… and a chance for something new… something better…
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Last Milkman
We have the last Milkman! Darrell has been our Milkman for 22 years now and when he retires… well, it will be a sad, sad day and our front door entrance will never be the same. The old metal milk locker will remain empty, and let’s face it… all will not be right with the world!
This entry sat on my desktop for weeks, then months, waiting for the words to come to tell a special story about someone that brought routine, dependability and a sense of stability to our family home. It was more than the familiar sound of the noisy Jersey Crown Dairy truck approaching our neighborhood with the talk radio blaring through crackling speakers or the familiar thud of the milk locker closing followed by a rap on the front door. Or the fact that no matter what conditions arose, the pouring rain, sweltering heat or broken down trucks, the milk delivery continued every Tuesday and Friday with endless reliability in an unreliable world. The paragraph just sat there waiting for my story to form and as it sat, a certain chain of events took place as my mind stayed open to what I was about to write.
When our triplet babies were a year old, the massive formula deliveries changed to a milk order of 7 gallons a week! It was difficult at best to get out to the store to shop for all of the needs that a family that had just doubled in size over night would need. Milk delivery was the saving grace!
The children grew and the free rides that were offered by Darrell on the milk truck were anticipated with excitement by little ones playing outside. Screams of delight were heard as the truck pulled into our street.
Years rolled along peppered with little notes, “no milk today – thanx” or “extra carton of nonfat - today only – thanx.” “Please add 1 Qt. Buttermilk – thanx.”
Each November brought the annual one-inch strip of paper on which the words were typed: “Egg Nog will be available for the Holidays”. Somehow, that little note became the official beginning of the mood that surrounds getting our home ready for Christmas festivities and good times to be had by all.
Conversations with Darrell cemented a bond and respect for his pride in his family. Father of seven children and responsibilities taken on of raising a grandchild as well, were explained as I shared some of our own family circumstances over time. I even had come to love his wife even though I had never met her. My mind created a fuzzy picture of her stamping each envelope and balancing the books by hand all the while lovingly supporting her husband’s efforts to keep the high integrity of their business intact.
The years rapidly brought changes… a divorce, my oldest son moving out and my remarriage quickly followed by a move across town to a smaller house. Darrell came along! These events would change the standing order but we kept the Tuesday and Friday delivery schedule. My daughter expressed that Darrell’s unfaltering milk deliveries gave her the continuity she craved during this time of many changes and disruption in routine!
The notes became more personal over time, “No milk today – visiting colleges – thanx.”
Soon after he left a note that, he would miss a Friday delivery with an explanation included, “so that I could have a long weekend to travel back east to see my son graduate from the military academy”. The next week, Darrell came into our living room to recount the events of this trip of a lifetime. Did I mention that he was beaming with pride?
The triplets moved out and our order dwindled so I added yogurt to the standing order to try to make the delivery worth Darrel’s efforts.
Summertime brought the first notice that milk day, Friday, brought no milk! The next morning his truck pulled up to the curb but someone else was walking the cartons up to the front porch. I looked out and saw Darrell leaning over the steering wheel watching to see that the delivery process was completed correctly. I presumed that this was his grandson “helping out”. “He going to be alright?” I asked the boy expressing more than just passing concern. “He just needs some rest,” the boy replied.
Weeks later, my husband was out of town when I realized we hadn’t gotten the milk in from the day before. Off to the milk locker to check the status and condition of what had been left only to find the milk locker empty. My mind was quickly forming an explanation that this was bound to happen from time to time, that Darrell will do his best and that we would adjust to whatever this new routine needed to be.
On Friday that week, I checked for milk and saw the locker once again empty slapping me with the cruel reality that Darrell may not be back. My heart sank. I was sure that the family was fielding many calls and that whatever had occurred, difficulties had arisen, so I chose not to call knowing that the bill at the end of the month would contain an explanation. News that Darrell was having health Problems filtered through the community and I waited…
“We’ll be fine without the milk service!” I wanted to shout out so loud he would hear. “Just take care of your self!”
Finally, the bill arrived and the anticipated letter was enclosed containing an explanation of Darrell’s sudden retirement: It was dated and the familiar greeting was followed by his own words:
“Dear Valued Customer,
It is with regret that I am informing you that I will no longer be your Milkman. Due to a problem with my neck and left arm, I will be having surgery and physical therapy. When I am healed, I won’t be able to make deliveries as I have in the past. Unfortunately, there are no other milkmen in the area to take over, so I am shutting the route down.”
“This milk route has been my livelihood for more than 28 years. You are more than just customers to me. I will miss being your milkman.”
The PS on the note read, “After I’m feeling better, I’ll come by and keep in touch”
I opened the envelope and read it aloud to my husband. As I choked back a sob, I looked up and noticed tears in his eyes as I finished his words, we both knew just by Darrell’s track record, how hard it must have been for him to write that note.
It is hard to believe that the hand rubberstamp addressed envelopes won’t be stacked with the bills awaiting payment, or that one-inch strip of typewritten paper will not be left to announce the official beginning of the Holiday Season… And I will never, no never forget the sound of the noisy truck approaching or the milk locker slamming followed by a rap of the door. I am so happy that my kids got to have a part of something that was only usual to the generation before, my kids got to know the last Milkman!
This entry sat on my desktop for weeks, then months, waiting for the words to come to tell a special story about someone that brought routine, dependability and a sense of stability to our family home. It was more than the familiar sound of the noisy Jersey Crown Dairy truck approaching our neighborhood with the talk radio blaring through crackling speakers or the familiar thud of the milk locker closing followed by a rap on the front door. Or the fact that no matter what conditions arose, the pouring rain, sweltering heat or broken down trucks, the milk delivery continued every Tuesday and Friday with endless reliability in an unreliable world. The paragraph just sat there waiting for my story to form and as it sat, a certain chain of events took place as my mind stayed open to what I was about to write.
When our triplet babies were a year old, the massive formula deliveries changed to a milk order of 7 gallons a week! It was difficult at best to get out to the store to shop for all of the needs that a family that had just doubled in size over night would need. Milk delivery was the saving grace!
The children grew and the free rides that were offered by Darrell on the milk truck were anticipated with excitement by little ones playing outside. Screams of delight were heard as the truck pulled into our street.
Years rolled along peppered with little notes, “no milk today – thanx” or “extra carton of nonfat - today only – thanx.” “Please add 1 Qt. Buttermilk – thanx.”
Each November brought the annual one-inch strip of paper on which the words were typed: “Egg Nog will be available for the Holidays”. Somehow, that little note became the official beginning of the mood that surrounds getting our home ready for Christmas festivities and good times to be had by all.
Conversations with Darrell cemented a bond and respect for his pride in his family. Father of seven children and responsibilities taken on of raising a grandchild as well, were explained as I shared some of our own family circumstances over time. I even had come to love his wife even though I had never met her. My mind created a fuzzy picture of her stamping each envelope and balancing the books by hand all the while lovingly supporting her husband’s efforts to keep the high integrity of their business intact.
The years rapidly brought changes… a divorce, my oldest son moving out and my remarriage quickly followed by a move across town to a smaller house. Darrell came along! These events would change the standing order but we kept the Tuesday and Friday delivery schedule. My daughter expressed that Darrell’s unfaltering milk deliveries gave her the continuity she craved during this time of many changes and disruption in routine!
The notes became more personal over time, “No milk today – visiting colleges – thanx.”
Soon after he left a note that, he would miss a Friday delivery with an explanation included, “so that I could have a long weekend to travel back east to see my son graduate from the military academy”. The next week, Darrell came into our living room to recount the events of this trip of a lifetime. Did I mention that he was beaming with pride?
The triplets moved out and our order dwindled so I added yogurt to the standing order to try to make the delivery worth Darrel’s efforts.
Summertime brought the first notice that milk day, Friday, brought no milk! The next morning his truck pulled up to the curb but someone else was walking the cartons up to the front porch. I looked out and saw Darrell leaning over the steering wheel watching to see that the delivery process was completed correctly. I presumed that this was his grandson “helping out”. “He going to be alright?” I asked the boy expressing more than just passing concern. “He just needs some rest,” the boy replied.
Weeks later, my husband was out of town when I realized we hadn’t gotten the milk in from the day before. Off to the milk locker to check the status and condition of what had been left only to find the milk locker empty. My mind was quickly forming an explanation that this was bound to happen from time to time, that Darrell will do his best and that we would adjust to whatever this new routine needed to be.
On Friday that week, I checked for milk and saw the locker once again empty slapping me with the cruel reality that Darrell may not be back. My heart sank. I was sure that the family was fielding many calls and that whatever had occurred, difficulties had arisen, so I chose not to call knowing that the bill at the end of the month would contain an explanation. News that Darrell was having health Problems filtered through the community and I waited…
“We’ll be fine without the milk service!” I wanted to shout out so loud he would hear. “Just take care of your self!”
Finally, the bill arrived and the anticipated letter was enclosed containing an explanation of Darrell’s sudden retirement: It was dated and the familiar greeting was followed by his own words:
“Dear Valued Customer,
It is with regret that I am informing you that I will no longer be your Milkman. Due to a problem with my neck and left arm, I will be having surgery and physical therapy. When I am healed, I won’t be able to make deliveries as I have in the past. Unfortunately, there are no other milkmen in the area to take over, so I am shutting the route down.”
“This milk route has been my livelihood for more than 28 years. You are more than just customers to me. I will miss being your milkman.”
The PS on the note read, “After I’m feeling better, I’ll come by and keep in touch”
I opened the envelope and read it aloud to my husband. As I choked back a sob, I looked up and noticed tears in his eyes as I finished his words, we both knew just by Darrell’s track record, how hard it must have been for him to write that note.
It is hard to believe that the hand rubberstamp addressed envelopes won’t be stacked with the bills awaiting payment, or that one-inch strip of typewritten paper will not be left to announce the official beginning of the Holiday Season… And I will never, no never forget the sound of the noisy truck approaching or the milk locker slamming followed by a rap of the door. I am so happy that my kids got to have a part of something that was only usual to the generation before, my kids got to know the last Milkman!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Santa’s Home(less)
Recent news reports that the North Pole is rapidly melting away have affected the whole concept of my Christmas Fantasy mode. OMG! Santa is going to be homeless! The impact of this report is still sinking in.
I must comment that Santa’s current transportation mode is in keeping with the times (flying reign-deer over rising gas prices) and his choices should be commended as the *green* way to go… However, will the sleigh have to be re-designed to land on water once the toys are delivered to other parts of the world?
Picturing a roaring fire in the fireplace, Santa in a big overstuffed chair with Mrs. Santa sitting nearby… I am just not sure what to do with the mental image that I have in my head. Christmas storybooks will have to be re-written. Will Santa trade the red and white apparel for a wet suit? My imagination struggles to embrace what a modern version of Christmas Tradition might look like.
Thankfully, it is still July. I need some more time to mull this over in my mind.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
North Pole On Thin Ice
June 27: Some scientists have asserted that the Arctic ice cap could retreat so dramatically this summer that there could be open water covering the North Pole. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Learning Links
California is on fire should link to a very important story in my previous blog titled "Smoke"! I am posting these links once more to show exactly what these raging fires are about.
Smoke
Smoke
We are just hanging out-- waiting for the smoke to clear…. It is summer, 2008 and the state of
The smoke has been covering the state of
Smoke has now become a main topic of the evening news weather report!
Weather is what started the fire and the fire now controls the weather. Breezes come and start to clear the smoke away, but there is so much that it really only blows it around and the excitement of seeing a small piece of blue sky is soon dashed as the sun fades back into the hazed over orange glow that once heated the earth.
25 years of being a cigarette smoker comes back to haunt me as the effort of breathing takes its toll. There is no escape because of the widespread problem and I remind myself of the risks that our firefighters face as they valiantly fight the blazes that seem to pop up everywhere. Eyes burning and the fatigue that accompanies poor air quality are shared by all, the risks to health increasing with each day the Smokey conditions continue.
The 4th of July is a week away and I am hoping that the customary fireworks displays will not add to our dilemma…
June - outdoor summertime fun, campfires, daily exercise and easy breathing… I wonder how long it will be that we, once again, take these things for granted…
Monday, May 26, 2008
Recycling
Recycling
Years later, our waste management company informed us of a change to mandatory garbage pickup. This was a good idea because the population in our town was rapidly growing as we transitioned from farming community to “bedroom” community of nearby major cities. For 20 years, the townspeople had bagged up their recyclables and hauled them into the next major town, or simply threw them away.
A recycling center appeared, right down the street and then just as suddenly shut down, it’s brief occurrence like a fleeting dream. Schools and organizations would welcome the recycling projects for fundraising opportunity, but soon fizzled with the daunting task of collecting and then hauling messy bags, driving 30-mile round trips to do so.
Then it finally happened… the garbage truck came out on a non-garbage day distributing (no! lets get real here, dropping!) bins to the residents to use for recyclables. The bins were literally thrown from the truck, into the street, no lids and the added paperwork explaining their use flying around in the breezes. Did I mention their size? Big enough for 2 weeks of newspapers or a large garbage bag of random items, but not even close to large enough to contain the list of items to be recycled. Oh! In addition, pick up for the blue bins is *every other week*!
I assumed that this new project must be a royal pain for the waste company until I got the new and revised bill. The customers are obviously being passed the extra costs for this service!
Happy to finally have a new way to get my plastics , glass and aluminum to the recycling centers, I now bag the extras and heap the garbage bags on top of this very tiny bin, hoping someone will get the hint that our “bin” for recycling should be at least as big as our garbage cans! My question is how much energy do I waste rinsing these items to avoid the ants that find my saved recyclables before the 2-week pickup is due? I am holding out hope for a real tall can with a lid to be provided in the near future, or maybe the 3-can system like in the big city…
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