Just Thinkin’

Hello Beloved,

The other day I was standing in the driveway thinking about which branches needed to be pruned from the Mulberry tree. My eyes were drawn to a couple of little woodpeckers. Both of them would fit in a single hand. Beautiful little bird they are. To me it was apparent that it was an adult and a juvenile. Even though they were the same size the one was feeding the other and showing it what to do in order to feed itself. Funny that. Nature doesn’t get much time between first breath and expected self-care.

Think about it, when a wild animal comes into this world, it is walking on its own within hours most likely and in some cases able to run with the herd. Particularly if it is a “prey” animal. A few weeks after hatching, birds are flying. Crazy how fast they grow up. Now people on the other hand, people take a long time to grow up.

Take the human brain for instance, it takes 25 years or so for the human brain to reach maturity. Not hours or weeks or even months but years, years. Wow, how unique we are, how wonderfully made we are.  How incredible and wonderful the nature around is. Human children are dependent on their adults for years before they wade into the waters of independence and self-care.

Granted some of us are forced to grow up fast, but still, even at five years a human would not survive on its own. In some settings, eight years is considered to be the age of reason, not sure I agree with that. I don’t think an eight-year-old human would do well on its own.

A five-year-old critter has had several rounds of its own young ones and they themselves have had young ones. Perhaps several times over. Some dogs are considered juvenile for maybe two years, but the norm would be months or a year in most cases. Time is an interesting form of measurement. I don’t know if there is a point per se in all of this.

I was just thinkin’.  Do you have the luxury of being able to just think about random things and ideas and possibilities? How about why something is done the way it is and if there might be a different or better, easier way, better for you at least. I hope so Beloved. I know perhaps most people do not have the luxury of spending time just thinking on things. I do not take for granted that I do have the time and opportunity to just think about things.

I think about how blessed I am to live where I live. Not just the great neighborhood but this country. I am very fortunate to live in this country, yes I know this country has a lot of problems, a lot of really major problems. Still, I would rather live here than pretty much anyplace else on this wonderful planet. I think about how grateful I am to have my furred and feathered babies to care for. They give me more than I give them, I dare say. I think about how grateful I am to be able to go to work 40 hours a week and bring in a livable wage. I think about how many people live check to check and how missing even half of a check would compromise their safety and wellbeing.

I think about how fortunate we are, all of us, to be able to celebrate almost everything and everyone. While it is possible to find other people, who view themselves to be fortunate to be able to oppose what others celebrate. I think this is still the best country for me. You are able to make your own choices. Isn’t it great we have the freedom to just think about things?

Big things like how beautiful the universe is, little things like how amazing a spider web covered with early morning dew is. Things like how good a perfectly cooked steak is or how good fresh broccoli sautéed with grape tomatoes and fresh mozzarella balls until just warmed through can be. I best close this out Beloved or I’ll be going on for a long time.

Beloved, have a lovely…

Mona LangmaackMelin