Just 3 Things | #14

We are bracing for a BIG weather event and I'd be willing to bet most everybody I know is doing the same - no matter where they live, it is probably going to hit them in some way. Our trucks and machinery are full of fuel. There is plenty of hay laid by for the animals and we have heat sources to protect their water sources. We have plenty of food in the cupboard and in the fridges. Our prescription meds have been filled. So, we feel ready for whatever hits. Right now the meteorologists are predicting that we will start with freezing rain of some sort - either pelleted ice or rain that freezes after it hits. We would prefer the pelleted version, of course. Then, it is anticipated that we will get snow atop that. Here in the south, that can be problematic for folks who must get out and go about their lives and work. For us, it is just an inconvenience - I hope. What's the weather like where you are?

- What I've Been Working On -

Finally. Finally. I got the all the Christmas decorations packed up and stored away. The little kitchen tree came down a couple of days ago. (This was a planned and somewhat organized disassembly of the tree that had fallen three different times since it was first put up.) Yesterday, I felt fairly normal and decided that I had completely recovered from the creeping crud that has been lurking around here. So, I took down the big Christmas tree that Lydia and Luci had helped me to put up and decorate. I tried to organize ornaments as I took them off the tree - sort of. Upon completion, I told myself that next year I need to do a better job and have a better system. I also made note that I've got to figure out a better way for the kitchen tree before next year. I hope I remember that and my intentions to scout for a good organizational method for storing ornaments of all shapes and sizes and bead garlands and all of the things that go on the two trees. I also have plans for scouting out a better option for the kitchen tree. Another thing I did was go round the house and pick up all the twigs and bits of faux greenery and berries that I had tucked here and there and boxed those up. The little blue wagon that Mike insisted he needed last year was really handy. I could fill the tubs and boxes that I have for different decorative elements and stack those into the wagon and pull it to the basement entrance. It is so much easier than trying to trek up and down the stairs while toting tubs and boxes of stuff. A couple of wagon loads and I was done. I was also mindful of where I stashed the items I used for holiday decor this year and made a mental note that I need to take some time and go through all the decor I have and weed some things out.

By the end of the two trips out the back door and down to the storage room downstairs, I was puffing and gasping and coughing. So, normal is not the state I think of when all that is going on. However, I feel so very much better than I have felt at any other time during the month of January that I am sticking to my guns and saying that I'm recovered!

- What I've Been Watching -

We have been watching mindless television. We have streamed a couple of series using Amazon Prime and those have been a good change from the sappy movies of last week. Crossing Jordan with Jill Hennessey is one of the series that has captivated us. I recall watching an episode or two when it was on mainstream television but it has been an interesting series for seeing how things were during that time in our country and for seeing how technology has changed. It is not too gory or too predictable. So, Mike and I have made conjectures from time to time when there was a crime and chuckled with satisfaction when we were correct and raised eyebrows when we were not.

What I've really enjoyed watching has been college basketball - in particular, SEC basketball. I've watched men's games and women's games.  Of course, around here our blood runs orange for The University of Tennessee. It was good to see the different teams acknowledging the impact Pat Head Summit had on women's basketball. I always love to see the interviews with different people who were players she coached or folks who coached with her. They all seem to support the fact that she was a coach who was devoted to the betterment of the players, to the betterment of the sport, and to the attitude and devotion of putting in the work to be a part of a winning team. While watching those interviews, I often thought about how far things have come since she was a player; how far things have come since she began coaching at a very young age, and the number of young women she really made a direct difference for. I also wonder how the new NIL situation would have impacted they way she thought and how she managed her players and the game. 

- What I've Been Reading -

This week I did some serious reading. His Truth Is Marching On by John Lewis.  There were so many memories the book stirred for me and so many impactful statements within those pages. I think I am most moved by Lewis's afterword. Perhaps the most important paragraph of all said, 

"There are forces today in America trying to divide people along racial lines. There are forces today that are still preaching hate and division. There are forces today that want us to return to the old ways, to lose ground, to take our eyes off the prize. It makes me sad, for we don’t want to go back. We want to go forward and create one community—one America."

Yet, Lewis still encouraged hope, 

"We chose community once, in the 1960s, and I believe we can choose community once more...the means by which America redeemed part of her soul then can guide us now. When you see something you believe is unfair or unjust, you have to say so. Silence is not the answer. So much of what makes America truly great is hanging in the balance."

Many of us are asking what we can do to make a difference. Lewis's response:

"How to march forward? We all can study our history and thus learn what has worked in the past and therefore might just work in the present and in the future. We all can be trained to find our way or to get in the way. The teaching of individuals like James Lawson, Gandhi, and Dr. King lift us. They move us, and they tell us over and over again if another person can do just that, if another generation can get in the way or get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble, I, too, can do something. I, too, can get in trouble for the greater good."

 

I don't know that I am doing much more than airing how I believe injustice is taking place or sharing my perspective on the current state of our world with those who have no choice but to listen to me. However, when the opportunity presents itself, I certainly have intentions of getting in the way or getting in good trouble.

I hope the snowmageddon doesn't bring big trouble for folks. I do hope it allows folks to take a bit of time. To take a breath. To enjoy the beauty of nature. To take a break from the demands of living in a positive way. Be safe out there and stay warm!