I use my own photos more often than not, Janet, but that one came from Unsplash, a source for royalty free images. It was taken by Jakob Owens. So, that's a long way of saying that they're not the Tilghman-route shoes. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Your insights are wonderful, Betsy. Thank you for all your observations, and I for one am going to kick myself into gear, become more engaged with those around me, and stave off loneliness of my own. Once I kick the covid, that is....
I know you well enough to know that you're already making efforts, but I love the reminder that we get as much as we give when we reach out for connection! Give yourself all the time you need to get past the residual funk from Covid. That's no fun! Thanks, Carolyn. <3
Betsy you moved me to a tender area....lonliness.... Could be the number one killer of spirit When I worked on the psychiatric ward at Duke hospital while I was in seminary I lived in the world of distraught and loneliness and even lost reasoning... Oh my I feel like Father Mckenzie.... As I find myself singing Eleanor Rigby...... Where do all these lonely people come from....
So many of the ways we used to find connection have slipped away. Families living in close proximity to one another, villages who looked after their own, church services and town halls...I think we have to make a more deliberate effort to recreate what's gone missing for many of us. And, I loved your idea of keeping our promises to offer thoughts and prayers!
Thank you for writing such thought provoking and deeply emotional essays. You have no idea how much joy you bring to this reader, so, I thought I would let you know ! 😍 I particularly enjoyed Scenario #3 : it is so encouraging to learn that there are farmers in Maryland (Eastern Shore?) who are changing their practices to ,hopefully, protect the soil,the biodiversity that shares the earth with us, and ,maybe ,the types of crops they grow. My dream is to see a complete sea change in farming here: regenerative rather than extractive , smaller,more diverse farms rather than industrial monocultures. These farmer pioneers sound like a much needed breath of fresh air , and perhaps the beginning of creating a better community for us all😍
Thanks for these thoughts, Melody, and I am so pleased to know that you're finding goodness here. That's the goal! I've worked in the local food and farming system for 25 years and have come to appreciate how difficult it can be to incorporate changes in an already complex system. But, there are definitely folks who are thinking, talking, and taking steps on the Eastern Shore and beyond. If you want to know more about the project I'm working with right now, check out https://millionacrechallenge.org/
Kristi, I'm circling back (do we hate that term too much to still be using it these days?) to give this comment proper attention.
Noticing the happenstance bits of connection we all have the opportunity to experience each day brings me real joy. I'm grateful to have family and friends who support me deeply, to help me get to the parts that might be festering below the surface. But the random joy-shots are often what keep me from giving up on humanity altogether. It is one of my favorite themes here at Chicken Scratch. I'm glad to have a kindred spirit in you!
I feel you Elizabeth. There's so much garbage going on in the world that we need to hold onto these moments for dear life AND spread the feeling when we can.
Good food for thought. Are those shoes hanging on the overhead wires on route 33 on the way to Tilghman?
I use my own photos more often than not, Janet, but that one came from Unsplash, a source for royalty free images. It was taken by Jakob Owens. So, that's a long way of saying that they're not the Tilghman-route shoes. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Your insights are wonderful, Betsy. Thank you for all your observations, and I for one am going to kick myself into gear, become more engaged with those around me, and stave off loneliness of my own. Once I kick the covid, that is....
I know you well enough to know that you're already making efforts, but I love the reminder that we get as much as we give when we reach out for connection! Give yourself all the time you need to get past the residual funk from Covid. That's no fun! Thanks, Carolyn. <3
Betsy you moved me to a tender area....lonliness.... Could be the number one killer of spirit When I worked on the psychiatric ward at Duke hospital while I was in seminary I lived in the world of distraught and loneliness and even lost reasoning... Oh my I feel like Father Mckenzie.... As I find myself singing Eleanor Rigby...... Where do all these lonely people come from....
So many of the ways we used to find connection have slipped away. Families living in close proximity to one another, villages who looked after their own, church services and town halls...I think we have to make a more deliberate effort to recreate what's gone missing for many of us. And, I loved your idea of keeping our promises to offer thoughts and prayers!
Thank you for writing such thought provoking and deeply emotional essays. You have no idea how much joy you bring to this reader, so, I thought I would let you know ! 😍 I particularly enjoyed Scenario #3 : it is so encouraging to learn that there are farmers in Maryland (Eastern Shore?) who are changing their practices to ,hopefully, protect the soil,the biodiversity that shares the earth with us, and ,maybe ,the types of crops they grow. My dream is to see a complete sea change in farming here: regenerative rather than extractive , smaller,more diverse farms rather than industrial monocultures. These farmer pioneers sound like a much needed breath of fresh air , and perhaps the beginning of creating a better community for us all😍
Thanks for these thoughts, Melody, and I am so pleased to know that you're finding goodness here. That's the goal! I've worked in the local food and farming system for 25 years and have come to appreciate how difficult it can be to incorporate changes in an already complex system. But, there are definitely folks who are thinking, talking, and taking steps on the Eastern Shore and beyond. If you want to know more about the project I'm working with right now, check out https://millionacrechallenge.org/
What a wonderful and thoughtful piece. Your mother was blessed to have such a caring family.
These moments of connection between humans are something the world desperately needs more of.
🙌🙌🙌
Kristi, I'm circling back (do we hate that term too much to still be using it these days?) to give this comment proper attention.
Noticing the happenstance bits of connection we all have the opportunity to experience each day brings me real joy. I'm grateful to have family and friends who support me deeply, to help me get to the parts that might be festering below the surface. But the random joy-shots are often what keep me from giving up on humanity altogether. It is one of my favorite themes here at Chicken Scratch. I'm glad to have a kindred spirit in you!
I feel you Elizabeth. There's so much garbage going on in the world that we need to hold onto these moments for dear life AND spread the feeling when we can.
And I'll "circle back" with you any day 😁