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Get on Elephant
Let me tell you about my boat…
In our house we use cloth diapers for our babies.
But lately, as I’ve tried explaining to other people why we do it
I’m beginning to realize…
that in today’s world “ease” has become almost like a virtue.
and the choice to work harder than we have to
makes us seem…well,
a little strange.
What am I to do about these people?
I asked Nathan if “easy” could be a virtue.
He said “no,”
That “easy” was actually the opposite of a virtue,
and by definition,
virtue is difficult to achieve, that’s why it’s praiseworthy.
It requires skill and practice.
But if you think about why we “work” and what we consider “work,”
we mean, “make money.”
And we make money, in order to make life easy…
So it’s not hard to see how we might lose touch with the true meaning of virtue.
Everyday, I ask myself, “What am I to do for these people?”
I can make them cuffs…
but they have to accept them.
and really, we are a little strange…
but worth knowing.
“I fought in a war” by Belle and Sebastian
lveo. peace~ the travelingneighborhood
joana, thank you for this beautiful post. i have a few things to say. first abilene is looking so beautiful! give her a big hug for me. second, i still remember the moment that i realized that i don't need to use a DRYER — it was in italy, in citta di costella, at dinner, and nathan and another person were talking…this other person was complaining about the fact that in germany there are no dryers (she is american). nathan responded that dryers were completely unnecessary and incredibly wasteful. her response was: but it makes my life **easier**. nathan's beautiful response was–and i remember this very well–"well, you have a very limited definition of life"….ABSOLUTELY! since then i have not used a dryer except in the most dire of circumstances–but maybe only once or twice, and it has been 5 years!
the third thing i want to say–something that luke always reminds me of–is that not one of us is *not* guilty here–we are all very guilty, or as the old story says: who has not sinned should throw the first stone.
but–and this is the last point–your posting is an important reminder of what the meaning of life and existence is about and how far our usual goals are from it. virtue. i found the saying on that piece of paper you had photographed very apt and suggestive: what makes our lives rich is not what we take in, but what we give up. that is something to meditate on.
thank you!
I enjoyed this very much.
Thank you.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
I enjoyed this very much.
Thank you.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
I enjoyed this very much.
Thank you.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
I enjoyed this very much.
Thank you.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
What a beautiful blog! You are not only worth knowing, but your thoughts and choices are worth being known. Thank you for taking the time to dispaly beautiful images for us as you lead us into powerful thoughts. I stand as a witness to the way you and your precious family live out your values. What some may say is work, you joyfully choose to do in order to live congruently with what you believe. And it impacts the ones I love . . . my son and my granddaughters. And it changes me. Thank you.
As I took my reusable bags out of the washing machine this morning (I was reminded this morning through an article how important it is to wash them!), I thought about your words of re-use, reduce, recycle. I have to say I've been sold on the whole cloth diapers and Matt and I will surely be doing that when we have kids! Thanks for sharing this morning, Joanna – I hope you're able to find rest as you enjoy the work of 2 kiddos! love, alisha
lovely, joana. reminds me of one day in particular when silas was about 5 months old that i was clipping all his diapers out on the clothes line, he was on his back kicking his legs and chortling at the treetops, and a hummingbird whizzed by my hand…in a second all the concerns about stain removal, rinse cycles, and getting the wash done early enough in the morning that they'll dry before nightfall vanished…there is a peace , an awareness, and some awe-some JOY that comes with moving more slowly and purposefully through life, something you know well!
Dear Joana, thank you for make us think one more time. I have to say that in this world, that push everyone to be more obedient and homogeneous, to be a little (or more than that) strange is almost becoming a virtue. Because it is not "easy" to be honest with oneself, and stay in the own way. Good for that!!!
thank you Joana…beautiful. our cultural norm has become so strange that someone like you (or me, or many others) feel like we are….strange. "normal" is a setting on my dryer (which I rarely use
my father drove a diaper truck back when cloth diapers were the "norm". that concept seemed so odd to me as a child, when we simply threw EVERYDAMNTHING into the rubbish and recycling was "strange".
I ask myself every day: "what does life want from me?" and sometimes the answer is difficult to accept. I work in an office with people who have advanced degrees and they can't even recycle even though the containers are 2 feet away. they have children and grandchildren and they just can't be bothered because they are VERY important and make a lot of money.
"what can I do for these people?" ~ my teacher tells me:
"Welcome all beings" (and all means all~virtuous or nonvirtuous
one last thing, some people manifest "easy" as a virtue. one of my dearest friends is very much like Winnie the Pooh, he doesn't get ruffled or riled by any situation. absolutely amazing. he doesn't meditate or work on it, it is more like a gift or a talent. a virtue none the less–to shine upon others like the sun, letting go of our own stories about everything, not making life more complicated than it is.
anyway, I very much like your boat…
Eirc. I enjoyed reading your comment.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
Eirc. I enjoyed reading your comment.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
Eirc. I enjoyed reading your comment.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
Eirc. I enjoyed reading your comment.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com