RED DIRT

Have you ever felt a connection to a certain place, an almost psychic bond. No, I'm not talking weird here, folks. Just that feeling that maybe you've come home----and it's hundreds, maybe thousands of miles from where you actually live.

For me, it's red dirt. That iron-rich, rusty colored, badly staining clay. Eastern Tennessee is loaded with it. I can't wait to get to that red dirt, green mountains, beautiful lakes, slower pace of life, foggy mountains in the morning, great food, and sociable people, whenever I can. Lots of relatives there, so I've gone there forever. That's where we plan to live in a year or so. We now live in Ohio..............

I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but I was only there for 2 or 3 years. I went back for a visit a few years ago. I found that I loved the red dirt, green mountains, beautiful water all around, slower pace of life, foggy mountains in the morning, wonderful food, and great people. We now live in Ohio.............but we're moving to Tennessee.

Hmmmmmmm.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?

OK, I'm showing my age.......or at least my generation: flower-child, almost.

I was a folkie: a follower of Bob Dylan, Arlo Gutherie, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Ritchie Havens, and Peter, Paul, and Mary to name a few. I loved the pictures their music painted and the stories their lyrics wove. "Where have all the flowers gone?" I loved the tight harmonies, but also the subtle, hard driving guitar beat in the background. I felt uplifted and hopeful even if they sang of hardship and freedoms hard won.

Later, I watched Laugh In. It was a beautiful, zany, politically-tinged, irreverent show. It was witty and quick: no preaching, just thought provoking and humorous. It pushed the bounds of propriety for it's time. It had a resident poet.....a sweet, funny soul always carrying a flower, by the name of Henry Gibson.

Where have the flowers gone: Good bye, Mary Travers and Henry Gibson.

LESS IS MORE, More or less: TODAY'S VERSION

We're all familiar with that old saying "less is more." How does it relate to today's society?

Stylists have always told women to look in the mirror as they leave to go to go on a date or attend a social function, and then remove one piece of jewelry: less is more, don't overdo it. Home stagers will stress to their clients: remove all clutter and personal items to achieve a sense of space and balance to sell their homes more quickly. Every women knows (or SHOULD) that a light touch of make-up to hide flaws and enhance your appearance is much better than looking like a painted-up cartoon character. A little less will achieve more of a result.

Somehow this message has gotten garbled in today's world. The less you know, the more you have to say. The less of an accredited authority, the more you will be called on to state your opinion. The less you delve into a subject or investigate its veracity, the more believable you want to be. The less grip you have on honesty or sanity, the more you'll host your own show. Oh, wait.....I guess less is more....attention getting, in some sense.

People, I find, are using less common sense and becoming more easily led. They are becoming less civil and more seditious. Instead of striving for the truth they are becoming more strident in their condemnation. Instead of being examples of wisdom and truth, they are becoming more like the people you've cautioned your kids not to be. Religion has become less a spiritual guide by which to live your life, and become a convenient talking point to battle your opponent. Less about you and more about me.

The world is always changing, hopefully evolving. Change is never easy: you never know if it's going to be good or bad. Sometimes it affects us and we didn't really ask for it. But usually we have a hand in the final result. It's not the state of change itself that is most telling, it's our reaction to it.

We've got to get over this "my side right, your side wrong" mentality so prevalent today. A little less use of overworked labels and more courtesy. Less knee-jerk reaction and more thoughtful discourse. I'm not talking pollyanna rhetoric here, folks, but just a stepping back for a moment. Turn off the television for a while. Quit looking at those crudely written signs on display, whether we want to see them or not. Give your brain a chance to regain its composure, as it were. It's all a carnival anymore, and I'm getting dizzy from the merry-go-round.

THROUGH MY LOOKING GLASS

Am I the only one here who's beginning to feel like Alice Thru The Looking Glass? Has the world turned all topsy-turvy on me, and I didn't get the memo? Or has it always been that way, and I have spent all my time down the Rabbit Hole? Help me, Alice.

Once upon a time, it was good and right to help those less fortunate than you, to give a helping hand to others in trouble. Once upon a time, it was "my brother's keeper", but now it's "I'm keeping mine." Once upon a time, it was "give us your tired, your poor" but now it's building walls to keep everybody out. Once upon a time, it was "we're all in this together and now it's "socialism" and welfare.

I long for the good ol' days. You know those days when everything was peaches and cream. Casseroles for dinner and dad wore a fedora (that's a kind of hat, for all you GenX'ers). Ozzie and Harriet. The Brady Bunch----not Jon & Kate with their 8. People bought cars that didn't cost as much as their first house. But I only want to talk about the 70's and 80's here folks.........

I remember those days: I was a single mom raising four kids. Nope, sorry: I was a college educated, full time employed, home-owning mom. (Where did that white picket fence go?) We did have casseroles, and hamburgers, and scrambled eggs, and hotdogs, biscuits and gravy, koolaid instead of pop, and frozen waffles. The kids went to school (OK, 95% of the time and they got caught the rest of it) had friends to run around with, yelled at each other (they could voice their opinions, but I made the house payments!), and generally lived our life. The good and bad of it. Especially the bad cancer part, or parts, since it came again. I had surgery and radiation. Then 18 months later chemo and radiation. (Highly recommended for weight loss, if you can put up with the side effects...) We survived: kids graduated one by one and went on to college or jobs. Well, there was one that wanted to prolong this "growing up and being responsible process." But I held my breath, gave him a check for the first month's rent and shoved him out of the nest....

I'm sure millions of other families went through the same lives and rituals. Most of us in this country have the same values and beliefs. We've all had triumphs and tragedies.

Where did we go wrong, or better yet, why were we led in the wrong direction? Are the "kids" finally taking over the "household'?

The slogan that "what was good for GM is good for the country" turned out to be wrong. Your hometown, friendly bank somehow morphed into a monster ready to eat you alive. Your locally elected officials are always looking for that next "job upgrade" instead of concentrating on now. Mom and pop stores were shoved aside to make way for superstores of all sizes and stripes. Even your water and foods are bad for you--not to mention the air your breathe, if you believe everything you hear today.

The operative word here today is "believe." I don't believe screaming and shouting to get your point across during a civil debate is productive or intelligent. I don't believe representatives elected by us are allowed a "free pass" for bad behavior and indiscretions because they are "important." I believe that there, but for the grace of god go I, in many situations. I believe everyone should work, or volunteer, or barter, or teach, or toil, to the best of their ability to help their families and neighbors in their daily lives. I believe in a god, a sense of religion, and a sense of spirituality, but I don't believe everyone has to adhere to those same exact beliefs. If we did, why did this same god make so many "variations on a theme?" I also believe that this same all-knowing being gave us brains and minds to use for the purpose of knowing right and wrong, and when to do it. I also believe this universe is millions of years old, still evolving, and it's all according to a greater plan. We are the one's who aren't following directions.

So, I guess I'll go back to my tunnel, snack on some magic mushrooms, wait for Alice, and hope for the best. I 'll stay away from news journalists, politicians, talking heads, and rabble rousers. No, I'm not ignoring the world of today. I just need a break, a time to find my center, and it can go on without me. Life is usually what happens when we're so busy making other plans, or trying to get others to change theirs.