My Country 'Tis of Thee

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Sweet Land of Liberty

The Fourth of July is a holiday in the United States of America, and we're celebrating the birth of our nation.

Samuel Francis Smith penned the lyrics to My Country 'Tis of Thee in 1832. A 24-year-old student of theology, Smith wanted to create a national hymn for the American people to offer praise to God for their wonderful land.

 
 

This song served as the unofficial national anthem for the United States until the adoption of The Star-Spangled Banner in 1931.

Fourth of July Holiday

We're a young nation with a relatively short history compared to many other countries. 

This nation's birth was only a short 240 years ago, in 1776. We're the brash newcomers making a splash and letting everyone know we're here.

The Fourth of July is a federal holiday and that gives us time to wave lots of flags. We line the streets for parades, gather outside for cook-outs and picnics, and join family and friends to watch fireworks at night. Bring out your patriotic red, white and blue!

Patriotism And Loving Your Country

What is patriotism?

“Patriotism is an emotional attachment to a nation which an individual recognizes as their homeland.
This attachment, also known as national pride, can be viewed in terms of different features relating to one’s own nation, including ethnic, cultural, political or historical aspects.”
“The English term patriot is first attested in the Elizabethan era, via Middle French from Late Latin (6th century) patriota, meaning “countryman.”
This ultimately came from Greek πατριώτης (patriōtēs), meaning “from the same country,” from πατρίς (patris), meaning “fatherland.”
The abstract noun patriotism appears in the early 18th century.”

Red, White And Blue

In the United States, if you're wearing a patriotic outfit, it's got red, white and blue in it. Decorations, same thing.

Not that these colors are unique to the Americans. We share these colors with the French and the British. Their flags are also red, white and blue. However, the French describe their colors as blue, white and red, changing the order so the color blue is listed first.

 
 

Patriotism can also be service to one's country and fellow countrymen. It can take the form of serving in the military or working in other service organizations.

This idea is captured in the famous words of President John F. Kennedy.

“And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
— Inauguration Speech of John F. Kennedy

Loving Your Country, Loving Other Countries

Many people have countries that they call "home" and they share a love for their own countries. It's okay to love our countries. It's okay to love other countries, too.

Loving our own country, doesn't limit us from loving others. Our hearts are wide and open to love our whole planet and the many expressions of our cultures and countries.

I like to refer to other places that I love, countries where I am not a passport-carrying citizen, as heart homes. I have quite a list of heart homes. I wish it were possible to live in many places all at the same time. 

Enjoy your red, white and blue holiday!

Prayer And Meditation

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Do you pray? Do you meditate? Maybe you do both.

What is prayer and meditation?

You can find a meme for everything nowadays, and prayer and meditation are defined in this one.

We Like To Define Things

As humans, we have a need to explain and define things. It makes us feel more comfortable to think we know what things are. It makes us feel a little more safe when we think we understand something. It even gives us a little illusion of being in control.

Now, most of us would admit that, in truth, we're not in control of anything, but that's easier said than believed. So, off we go with our definitions clutched tightly to our chest.

Then again, perhaps we are, indeed, talking and listening as we pray and meditate. This idea captures the duality of the breath in and out and an exchange of giving and receiving.

Here, we have a statue of St. Francis sitting on a hill that overlooks the valley of Assisi in Italy where he often came to be in prayer and meditation.

Prayer And Meditation Are A Circle

Where does the beginning of a prayer become a meditation and when does a mediation start to slip into a prayer? I would propose that they co-exist in a circle. Without a beginning or an end, we constantly meet ourselves at the start of a prayer and at the end of a meditation session.

As he sits outside on the steps in Assisi, a Franciscan monk lifts a prayer to the heavens.

Better Than A Hallelujah

Sometimes when we pray and meditate, we find ourselves facing aching tears, sorrow and anguish. In these moments, we fear our prayers are not heard. Perhaps our meditations are not "holy enough" to be considered worthy. 

Have courage, and know you are held within a great light in both the good times and the bad. Your tears and your laughter are all a melody within the heart of the universe. 

Amy Grant captures this in her heart-expanding song: Better Than A Hallelujah.

 

To Have Or Not To Have Is The Question

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Time For Spring Cleaning

It's spring and that means it's time for spring cleaning and decluttering. Time to downsize, to get the cobwebs out of our closets and cupboards.

It's about finding the right balance between having things and not having things.

Some things we need.

Some things we need every day, while other things, we need once in awhile.

Some things sit in our closets and we don't need them at all, but for some reason they keep sitting there.

(Below: items ready for pick up for donation.)

Moving Is A Great Time To Declutter

Usually when faced with a move, we’re still working and we have what seems to be a million appointments as we rush off to the next assignment. Just too busy to be able to have enough time to sort through things.

Or, have you ever tossed things in a fit of "oh my god, I have too much stuff" only to regret it later because you actually do need it and then have to buy it again? Ouch.

Other times, we simply shake our head and think, "oh well, just pack it and move it" – with the plan to deal with it later.

Later Is Now

Well, here it is. Later is now and a move is coming. In addition, it’s spring and with it comes motivation for spring cleaning and decluttering.

If you have enough time before a move, you can calmly contemplate items and consider their purpose. Function can be a good criteria to keep something.

There are plenty enough items kept for their sentimental value. The debate consists of determining if sentimental value is strong enough to keep things despite a lack of functionality.

It's all about finding balance.

Time To Declutter

Even if you're not moving, the energy of spring may be motivating you to tidy up and downsize. One source of inspiration is Marie Kondo, the Japanese guru of decluttering. She is full of ideas about getting rid of the clutter and bringing organization to your life. Not only good for your home environment, but also good for your mind and spirit.

Kondo advocates that an important aspect of letting go is to acknowledge an item and say thank you for their energy in your life. Then, you accept that it's now time to say goodbye to it.

She holds that it's more in balance to honor things that have been in your life, even as you say goodbye, instead of tossing them with disdain.

“It is to be touched, thanked and ceremonially sent on its way towards a better life elsewhere, where it can discover a more appreciative owner.”
— marie kondo

Japanese Style

Having lived in Japan for three years, I can certainly attest to the organization and tidiness of the Japanese culture. Everything has its place, neatly organized.

“If you haven’t communed with your socks lately, thanked your shoes for their hard work or bowed (at least mentally) to your home in appreciation, maybe it’s time to consider doing so.”
— marie kondo

Spring is the perfect time to look around your home to see how you might tidy up, downsize and reorganize.

Perhaps you’re inspired to spring clean and declutter now that spring has sprung. 

 

Easter Comes On Sunday

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If you're looking for Easter, you will always find it on Sunday.

The trick is figuring which Sunday. That's when the hunt begins.

 

Easter Is A Wandering Celebration

You undoubtedly noticed that Easter wanders around the calendar. You have to check each year as to when you'll need to have your Easter bonnet purchased.

Easter can be celebrated as early as the end of March or in the last half of April. The Easter holiday schedule from now until 2050 shows Easter as early as March 25 and as late as April 25. That's a lot of wandering.

Easter is a moveable feast. It evokes something magical even though it has a scientific basis in the timing of lunar cycles.

 
“The date of Easter is determined according to the lunar calendar (the date of Christmas is fixed on the solar calendar on 25 December).
Before 325 AD, there was no official celebration of the birth of Christ, and Easter was celebrated by some Christians on Passover (a lunar holiday) and by others the following Sunday.

The First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD established that Easter would fall on the Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal (spring) equinox.
The church’s methods are a bit imprecise, in part because the vernal equinox doesn’t always fall on March 21 and in part because the church uses traditional tables (rather than modern astronomy) to determine the dates of full moons.”
 
 

Combine The Old And New

We expand our knowledge of the moon and Easter as well as spring and its new beginnings. The connections extend deep within our history and link back to festivals that existed long before the religion of Christianity.

Bunnies are a leftover from the pagan festival of Eostre, a Germanic goddess whose symbol was a rabbit or hare.

The exchange of eggs is an ancient custom representing rebirth and one can easily see the new beginning that spring represents. In Persia, eggs have been painted for thousands of years as part of the spring celebration of No Ruz, which is the Zoroastrian new year.

Hot Cross Buns

Easter has an ancient lineage and hot cross buns harken back to that history. Their delightful story reminds us of the adage: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." 

In the Old Testament, the Israelites baked sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders tried to put a stop to it. The early church clergy also tried to stop sacred cakes being baked at Easter. Ultimately, in the face of defiant cake-baking pagan women, they gave up and blessed the cake instead. Hence, we benefit today from tasty hot cross buns.

 

A Moveable Feast

I have always loved the notion of a moveable feast. Partly because it's intriguing to be kept guessing each year, and partly because of the book by that name, written by Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway recounts his life in Paris as a young man during the 1920s and describes it in this well-known quote: 

 
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
— Hemingway
 

I passed though my Hemingway phase during my first years in college. Our youth whispered that we were immortal. There were times when reading his books, I would almost feel tipsy, caused by living vicariously as he quaffed vast amounts of clear, crisp white wine or imbibed in bar-drinks that had to be clean.

We dreamed everything was still possible: 

 
“...we would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright.”
— Hemingway
 

And while we are a bit older and wiser now – spring equinox, Easter, rebirth and moveable feasts are still a part of our celebrations.

 

Daylight Saving Time

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Here It Comes Again

That persnickety daylight saving time (DST). It’s here. Already. We barely got a break from it before it's right on top of us again.

Of course, you know the correct term is daylight SAVING (no s) time. But over time, it has been easy for people to add an "s" in their conversations.

I have a theory that we're subconsciously thinking of our monetary "savings" which, heaven knows, is usually too small. Just like the amount of sleep we get in the first days after the time change. That's not very scientific, it’s just a fun idea. 

Benjamin Franklin Invented It

It's likely that Franklin was more joking than serious, when he thought up the idea of daylight saving time many years ago. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the rest of us from enacting it. 

The Verge gave us an article entitled Daylight Saving Time is Hot Garbage from which I quote below :

“Daylight Saving Time wasn’t introduced in America until 1918, when it was meant to conserve energy for World War I.
The thought was, essentially, Franklin’s: that people tend be more active in the evenings, so the extra daylight there would mean fewer hours where people lit their houses at night.
After the war, farmers lobbied to get the law repealed; turns out, it’s easier to do farm work when the rest of the world is also on the sun’s schedule.
In 1942, during World War II, DST was enacted again, but year-round.”

Daylight saving time didn't end after the war. Congress kept enacting and repealing DST until they finally made it law.

“DST was reintroduced by the federal government in 1966, though whether or not it was observed was up to states (Arizona and Hawaii don’t observe DST, for example).
And in 2007, a law passed by President George W. Bush expanded DST by more than a month — it now runs from March to November.”
 

Daylight Saving Time purportedly would save us energy consumption and costs. Studies, in fact, prove just the opposite. We consume more energy with our use of electronics and running our air conditions.

With this evidence in place, you'd think we'd remove DST just as easily as we added it, but somehow, it doesn't work that way.

Daylight Saving Time Studies

Not only does daylight saving time do little to save energy, we now have evidence that it has negative effects on our health and safety.

In the two days after the change to daylight saving time, there is a 24% increase in the number of heart attacks and for people over the age of 65, the risk of stroke increases by 23%. The time change is actually a "shock" to our systems. Blood pressure can also increase, putting people at risk for blood clots. These events are usually found in those who already have pre-existing conditions that increase their risk.

To help you with the time change, experts recommend exercise, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine and sticking to a schedule. Most notably, they advise us to de-stress.

Yay Or Nay For Daylight Saving Time?

Obviously, you can tell I favor elimination of daylight saving time. I trudge through it, like everyone else, but the further we get into fall, the more I long for the return of standard time. 

I'm ready to never have to change my clock again except for those wonderful times when I'm afforded the opportunity to travel to other time zones. 

And you? Where do you stand on the DST debate? Strong feelings on either side? Or maybe just a meh?

Whatever our feelings, we’ll be back to natural time in November when we change our clocks back.

Will It Ever End?

Addendum 2022: In March 2019, the European Parliament voted to eliminate the biannual clock changes and remain on Daylight Standard Time. No more springing forward or falling backward of the clocks.

Naturally, we rejoiced. But, did it actually happen? Sadly, no. Here’s a great article explaining Why Europe Couldn’t Stop Daylight Saving Time.

I suppose if we really want to avoid Daylight Saving Time in the U.S., we could move to Arizona or Hawaii – two states that refuse to change their clocks. Or, worldwide, we could move to Turkey, Russia or Belarus who have already eliminated daylight saving time.

In the meantime, the rest of us slog our way into the time change… yet again. What a wonderful day it will be when I write another addendum that daylight saving time has finally been eliminated in the United States, Europe and worldwide. But, given the glacial speed with which we move, I’m not holding my breath!

 

Your Song Of Love

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Celebrating Our Hearts

Valentine's Day comes only once a year, but we can celebrate our hearts every day of our lives.

It's the joy of letting our hearts sing with love all the time, in our many gestures throughout our days.

Defining Love

In our society, we typically think of love as being defined only between two people. Yet, most of our definitions of love are too limiting. Love is not confined to our friends and family.

We know love when we see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, when we gaze at the moon and the stars, when we stop to notice dewdrops on a blade of grass. Love expresses in a myriad of ways. Love flies in many dimensions.

It's possible to love everything. Our love is shared with animals, nature and our world that is all around us. Love is there when we answer the phone, prepare a meal, and tuck someone in at night.

Love reaches into the cellular level of our bodies and stretches out to the galaxies, far beyond our comprehension.

Fill Your Gestures With Love

Let all your daily gestures be filled with love. 

Real love unfolds naturally and quietly within us. Over time, we start to see how it expresses in our lives. 

Don't let anyone diminish your love.

Let your love move on the wind.

Let your heart sing its love song, just like the little birds singing in the forest.

 

Take a look at Lada Ladik on Instagram who created the heart-felt artwork included in this post. She has many creative hearts to share.

 

 

Our Local Food Co-op

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Davis Food Co-op

Do you have a local food co-op where you shop for organic food? Not far from my home in Northern California, the Davis Food Co-op offers treats for everyone.

Just the other day, I had to smile as I waited in the checkout lane at the co-op. Instead of staring at gossip magazines with racy rumors, I found myself looking at the magazine Buddhadharma that featured the question: “What is enlightenment?” 

Buying In Bulk

The bulk bins are sumptuous with a wide variety of choices. Since the store has a large customer base, the bulk items remain fresh. It’s joyful to bring your own containers and weigh and label them. Skilled checkout clerks weigh the filled container and subtracting its weight from the bulk goods.

It's a sense of satisfaction knowing that I'm taking less plastic home with me. I fill various types and sizes of glass Mason jars with colorful beans, nuts and lentils. They are a source of visual delight sitting on my kitchen counter.

The Olive Bar

Another opportunity to buy in bulk is the olive bar. I always take time to visit the colorful display filled with plump tidbits to please the palate. 

Fresh Pure Waters

The water machine offers reverse osmosis water and is perfect for brewing Kombucha. I fill up gallon jugs with pure water that I use to prepare my healthy, probiotic concoction. I purchased plastic containers that are BPA-free and refill them over and over again.

Co-op Membership

One aspect of a co-op that appeals to me is the membership. I feel like a participant of the store, rather than just another faceless customer spending money. As members, we have an interest and stake in the success of the store. I suppose it connects to the old adage: "It takes a village."

“Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.
In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.”

When the day comes that I have to move away from the area, I will miss this co-op experience.