Life

Kids – Hope for the Future

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

Shazaam! I’ve got a magic wand!

Each week my local county paper has a kids’ section that poses a question or two and publishes the children’s answers with their names, schools and grades. I always read these. Sometimes – kids being who they are – the answers are hysterical, some about what you’d expect from a 6 or 7 year old, and sometimes remarkably perceptive. Those are the ones that always make me smile.

This week the paper posed the question, “What would you do with a magic wand?”

There were plenty of answers about making the child and sometimes his family rich, turning her backyard into Disneyland or taking him to Disneyland, getting rid of one’s allergies, getting lots of wonderful foods,  and so on. But then there were these.

“I would use a magic wand when people need help. I would wave my wand and magic spells will help them.”  –  Amy, 1st Grade

“If I found a magic wand, I would wish everyone the best and world peace. World peace is very important to me.”   – Lauren, 5th Grade

“If I found a magic wand, I think I would go back in time to see my ancestors. I would really like to see what they looked like and see what they did. I think it would be really cool.”  – Alexis, 5th Grade

“If I found a magic wand I would stop world hunger! I would also train my puppies to do their business in the woods …”   – Margo, 3rd Grade

“If I were to find a magic wand, I would use it very wisely and only for good …”   – Kristen, 4th Grade

“If I had a magic wand I would find clues to see who lost it and give it back to them because it is the right thing to do and I like to do what is right. I would do it with my parents’ permission.”   – Rhea, 1st Grade

And then there are the future artists and scientists …

“If I found a magic wand I would summon a unicorn! Me and the unicorn would play. I would name it Buttercup. I would ride Buttercup everywhere. That’s what I would do if I found a magic wand.”  – Derek, 3rd Grade

“I would make a duplicate of myself.”   – Wayne, 1st Grade

For those who are worried, take heart … there is definitely hope for the future.

The Starfish Story

/ still a dreamer / 3 Comments

I have known this story for as long as I have been involved with helping animals. I featured it in the first issue of the newsletter I published for my dog rescue. It is something I never forget, and today, while searching for quotations for a job I’m working on, I stumbled across it again. It’s just a favorite of mine, and I’m thinking to share its simple inspiration with you.

The Original Starfish Story can be found in ”Star Thrower,” a collection of essays by naturalist and writer Loren Eiseley 1978

“One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, ‘What are you doing?’
The youth replied, ‘Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.’
‘ Son,’ the man said, ‘don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!’
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…‘I made a difference for that one.’”

Happiness and Control

/ still a dreamer / 8 Comments

Can you name two things that don’t go together? There they are. Happiness and control.

As long as we are trying to control an outcome, we’re never going to be happy. Imagine right now … say to yourself, “I would really be happy if …” and I’ll tell you that inevitably it will mean that if something or other would just go differently than it is, i.e. how you would like it, you could be happy. This is a lesson that comes up again and again and again. And in every area of one’s life.

Right now for me, both of my animals have serious medical problems, one just discovered within the last week. I would be happy if … this weren’t so; if … I could alter the outcome; if … what ails them could be turned around. None of this is reality. I can do the best I can to comfortably extend their lives for as long as possible. Who knows how long that might be? Surely, not me. And I can enjoy their wonderful company for as long as that is. I can do my best and that’s all I can do. And if I can get my head straight – it seems to come in and out of this – I can actually be happy right now as they have so far lived wonderful, happy lives and given me so much joy. And they will continue to do so for as long as they do.

We all have circumstances in our lives we wish were different. They often involve others, no? But what we need to always remember is that we are all living beings, of one species or another, on our own journeys in this lifetime. I’m not here to control yours. Nor you, mine. I don’t believe it’s our job to keep trying to control how things turn out. We can do our best to be a force for good, but beyond that, we need to trust that the Universe is in order and all is happening exactly as it should.

And there’s the happiness. Not saying it’s easy, but in that peaceful, trusting state of mind, it becomes much easier. Be happy. Me, too.

p.s. The photo is of the happiest plant on my porches. This was not the year of the thriving plants and flowers, but for some reason, this coleus, in a spot I considered probably too sunny, just gets more rich and beautiful every day. Perhaps that’s what I’m talking about.

Babysitting A Betta

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Meet Pipsqueak. She is a female betta, a type of fish sometimes known as Siamese Fighting Fish. But Pipsqueak is a lover, not a fighter.

Each year I watch my neighbors’ pets for a week or two when they go on vacation. Up until now, that has included their 2 cats and their pond fish. As they built a new and much larger pond this year, I am also caring for koi in the pond as well. But my next charge was brought over in a glass vase by the younger daughter, C. It was a betta. Bettas are new to me.

C. gave me instructions to change the water once a week, and gave me food that appeared to me like the pond goldfish food crumbled up with instructions on how often to feed Pipsqueak. Without a filtration system in there and after talking with a friend, I felt a bit concerned. So … me being me … I stopped at Petco and purchased a book on bettas, which will be for C. when she returns, and some food formulated especially for these fish. My suspicion was correct in that the water needs to be changed way more often for that size vase. I had also noticed the small rocks in there had some rough edges which might tear her delicate fins and many cracks which could harbor bacteria. No problem, I have many decorative marbles. And so I read about bettas.

Pipsqueak has already had her second water change, now has safer rounded-edge flat marbles, and a food to suit her needs. She actually has enough room to swim in that vase. I’d probably give her something bigger, go for plants, etc. but she really isn’t my fish. My adjustments are to insure her health and that she’ll be doing well when C. returns. She’s a great kid, about 12 years old, that really does like animals. I think she will be interested to learn what more she can do for her little fish.

Now Pipsqueak … I didn’t know much about bettas, though I’ve never been crazy about any animals kept in small spaces, (and that is different with this fish), but I didn’t expect too much from her personality-wise. Well, has Pipsqueak surprised me! She’s an amazing little fish, watches what I do, comes up to say hello, etc. and otherwise swims about her little “tank.” I keep her with me as much as I can as she is actually quite curious! (Not next to the computer, not in sunlight.) At night, she’s on top of a bookcase where the cats don’t see her.

I am always humbled when I meet and learn about a new kind of animal. Every animal, bird, insect, fish, reptile … has it’s own life, habits, needs and … personality. We rarely give them enough credit for being the amazing creatures they truly are. So I am enjoying Pipsqueak and trying to give her a pleasant time while she’s visiting. It didn’t take long to see … she’s so much more than “just a fish.”

In the wise words of Anatole France,
“Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

Life Out This Way

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

I was determined this morning to get some time out on one of my porches before the onslaught of work began. There’s plenty on my desk plus a scheduled quick trip to the vet.  It’s easy to get up and take care of the necessary house stuff then dive into work with nary a moment of peace on these still-cool mornings.

So I put off making breakfast and brought my coffee to the shady back porch and sketched a bit. Then I closed my eyes and just listened. I heard the gentle gurgling of the neighbor’s pond which is partially behind my home; the GUNK! of one of the froggy residents; I distinctly recognized a cat bird and a sparrow singing, and at least 5 others that I was not able to identify. There was some machine humming in the distance, an occasional vehicle some blocks away, but these were barely noticeable. There was not one human to be heard. It was peaceful.

In looking about me I saw two goldfinches zipping back and forth in tandem and a few chimney swifts flitting about high in the sky. At the edge of the porch, bumblebees were pushing their way into the lavender hosta flowers. A medium size rust beetle was seemingly trying to bury himself – or perhaps burrow – in the corner by the back door, an impossibility, of course. I couldn’t imagine his purpose but he was way off course, so I took a piece of paper and transported him down into the hosta, where at least it was a more natural environment for him.

When I did get to breakfast, I made sure to include one of the fresh peaches from my local farm stand. This quiet morning was a great start. The only downside? I couldn’t stay for hours.