Environmental Acumen

I learned a new term recently: Environmental acumen.  As I understand it, when a person has environmental acumen, he or she has a keen understanding of his or her surroundings, how they work and how the person fits within those surroundings.  It requires discernment, awareness and active assessment skills. It got me to thinking about my own surroundings and how well I know them and function within them.  I'm really a small-town person. For me, everything is personal and everything of value to me is personal.  The environment of a small town fosters intimate interactions, those in which I feel as if I really get to know people.  In my small town, I am afforded countless daily opportunities to say hello to people on the street or in the store aisle and to call them by name.  I am not comfortable nor do I feel as if I thrive in a large city.  As I get older, I relish those moments when I can be in smaller, rural environments, engaged in intimate conversation with family and close friends.  That's my world and I'm happiest when I'm there.

Stoned

I learned a few months ago that for the first time in my life, I had kidney stones -- multiple small stones in just one kidney.  I passed one of the stones during the late winter and had the opportunity to pass another one a few weeks ago.  Although I wouldn't rank it as one of my favorite things to do, it wasn't nearly the ordeal that I had heard about, so I was thankful.  The real blessing in the midst of it all is that I have become much more aware of how much water I drink each day and have upped my quota considerably from what I used to drink.  When one considers how much of our bodies are made of water and how much water we need to nourish ourselves, it's amazing my kidneys hadn't been "stoned," so to speak, before now.  Water is a precious commodity around the globe and, thanks to my kidney stones, I finally recognize how precious it is to my well-being, too.

Thank You Notes

I watched a television panel discussion recently about the future of the US Postal Service.  One man asked how many times in the last month the other panelists had written a letter or thank-you note and sent it via the US Mail, attempting to make a point that such communications were rapidly becoming extinct.  Larry and I were the fortunate recipients of two thank-you notes recently, one from a lovely young couple whose shower we had attended and the other from a neighbor who was grateful for the gift of some fresh produce.  What at one time seemed commonplace and even expected as a sign of good manners, now seems special and rare, simply because both writers took the time to hand-write their thanks and they did so in a timely fashion.  I would hope that such lovely expressions will never become extinct, nor the US Postal Service.  Call me old fashioned, but I think it's exciting to check the mail and find that someone has been so thoughtful as to select a notecard, write a note, place a special stamp on the envelope and send it to you.  For that, I give thanks.

Seeing Stars

While watching a PBS show about astronomy recently, I learned about the negative effects of light pollution as they relate to the night sky.  Sea turtles, which normally move quickly to water upon hatching, tend to get their directions confused these days due to light pollution -- artificial lights taking over the night sky.  I simply can't imagine living somewhere where I couldn't see, really see the night sky.  While no expert on constellations, I love looking at the stars.  I grew up living in the country where the night sky was magnificent.  My parents could be found frequently in their lawn chairs, enjoying the evening sky.  Recently, I had the opportunity to enjoy the night sky myself -- full moon, bright stars twinkling against a black expanse.  I sat right up in bed and watched out the window for the longest time, singing to myself the "Starry, Starry Night" lyrics from Don McLean's "Vincent," one of my all-time favorite songs from the 1970s.  Sea turtles, humans, all living creatures benefit from a real starry, starry night.  Perhaps it's time that we turn off the lights, if just for a while.

Material Wittiness

I was asked to read something very serious and important recently, so I took on the task with gusto and started paging through the document.  At one point, despite the serious content, I found myself chuckling, for spell check or something had substituted a word, giving the sentence an entirely different -- and incorrect -- meaning.  Rather than say "material witness," it read "material wittiness."   There was really nothing witty about the material I was reading.  However, the harder I tried to stop thinking about it, the harder I laughed.  On another occasion recently, I saw how two letters transposed changed the context of a sentence.  Instead of "sacred," the word was "scared"!  Again, I started to chuckle, trying to associate the two words and recognizing how profound such a small mistake could be.   Perhaps the lesson in all of this for me is not to take things quite so seriously.  Once in a while, it pays to find something witty, no matter how serious the material may be.

Night Sounds

I had some things on my mind one recent evening and found myself wide awake at about 1AM.  Rather than toss and turn and possibly wake my husband Larry, I decided to get up and sit in the rocking chair in our sun porch.  With the windows flung open, I was able to feel the gentle night breeze, watch the moths dance around the dusk-to-dawn light and hear the glorious night sounds.  The crickets were chirping like crazy.  Soon, the cares I had been carrying so heavily into the night were replaced with a feeling of relaxation that led to a smile.  During our prolonged heat spell, when even the midnight temperatures were above the norm, I missed the summer night sounds that I would otherwise enjoy.  I'm so grateful to have had that experience recently, rocking in the rocking chair on the sun porch, soaking up all that was beautiful that summer night.

Come Waltz with Me

Larry and I were invited to the wedding of our friends Nan and Mike yesterday.  In lieu of traditional gifts, the couple asked for those in attendance to complete a card with their wishes for the newlyweds.  The wishes could be read during the toasts.  Here is ours to Nan and Mike and to all who embark on the wonderful adventure of marriage:  If life is a dance, then marriage is a waltz: The grace, the flow, the touch and the twirling of two discrete beings who, when they come together on the dance floor, create something unimaginably lovely.  While the dance may appear effortless, in reality, the dancers work hard to honor self and what they want to become together.  And just as the couple floats around the dance floor, so do the years float by.  And with each year, the dancers perfect their steps until their movements are well synchronized and all you see is how beautiful it is.  May your waltz, your new life together, be light and lovely, joyful and jubilant.