For a "perfect" holiday

As far back as we can remember, we've tended toward being a perfectionist. (We suspect the Better Half might claim we've succeeded in our tendency.) Age has crept up on us, so we're considering the disadvantages and limitations of seeking perfection in a world that often seems to be able to barely function. ("Doctor, it hurts when I bang my head like this." "Don't bang your head like that.") Today, in what we can only conclude is an early Christmas present, we found (actually, it found us) and read A Thanksgiving Meditation in the Face of a Changing Climate. We can honestly, and ruefully, say we've never been aware of much of what's in the meditation, to our detriment. Here's a few choice excerpts:

• The Universe is not perfect, and that’s why you exist. 


• Every single speck of light you’ve ever seen in the nighttime sky is evidence of the Universe’s flaws.


• Everything you’ve ever eaten or drunk, every move you’ve ever made, every beautiful thing you’ve ever seen is because of a mediocre star in an unexceptional galaxy.


• There have been five mass extinctions. You are living through the sixth. You helped cause it, which means you have the power to stop it. You are not an asteroid or a volcano.

the beauty of imperfection

Photo by J. Harrington

Each of the children we share with the Better Half  was born during the Christmas season. Our son was actually born on Christmas day. With the exception of those two Christmas presences, reading the "Thanksgiving Meditation" this morning may have been the best and most appropriate Christmas present we've ever received. It certainly helps us enjoy the fact that we exist to enjoy the season and share it with loved ones and friends. If you haven't already, please go back and click on the link and read the mediation. If you have read it, it probably wouldn't hurt to read it again.

a star or a snowflake?

Photo by J. Harrington

On a related note, this morning the Better Half sent us a link to 2018 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar. If we understand the Meditation, the photos show us evidence of an imperfect universe. We're not sure how perfection could improve on what's in the pictures. What do you think?

For the Children

Gary Snyder

The rising hills, the slopes,
of statistics
lie before us.
The steep climb
of everything, going up,
up, as we all
go down.

In the next century
or the one beyond that,
they say,
are valleys, pastures,
we can meet there in peace
if we make it.

To climb these coming crests
one word to you, to
you and your children:

stay together
learn the flowers
go light

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