A Lot Overflowing

Hi, Everybody-

It's been some time since my last post; sometimes keeping up with daily routines becomes my excuse for procrastinating. My word for 2025 is "proactive". Put down the laundry! Here goes....

I promised you that my blogs would be uplifting; I promised to avoid writing about upsetting and redundant observations of current events. This will be a challenge, my friends. I'm not the kind of person who can pretend that everything is okay right now. Not only would that be inauthentic, but also unhealthy, very unhealthy, to my own being.

I found myself going back to my own website's homepage, to reconnect with my vision of where and what "Wow Street" is. I staked my claim there, I established a presence, a desire to live in a "World of We". Am I still "awed by the beauty and fury of nature"? Yes. Being present for two devastating hurricanes in Florida in November and more recently, learning about the absolute destruction caused by fires in California, yes, I am in awe of nature's fury.

I'm awed by the extremes of what fire and water can do to communities. Am I still "awed by the paradoxes in existence, and the sometimes-unbearable emotions of being human"?

Yes. I had to look no further than the 2024 election, whose results were the biggest paradox I have witnessed in my lifetime: personally, on an emotional level, I have experienced unbearable sadness, rage, fear and disgust; emotions that have overwhelmed my spirit. I can sincerely say that I'm awed by the extremes of what opposing political campaigns can do to communities. I deliberately use the word "awe", because in and of itself, the word contains a paradox. "Awe" is generally accepted these days as a term to denote something radically wondrous or amazingly inspiring. Not so long ago, before "awesome" gushed its way into the Lexicon of the Vacuous, (i.e., "these socks are so awesome"), "awe" was defined as the kind power that inspired a mix of wonder, terror and dread, power that was attributed only to God. Interestingly, "awe" has recently become a heavily debated concept when forums convene to discuss religion vs atheism. Can opposing beliefs be held together in one mind? One community? Game on! But please let our discourse be rational and coherent.

I know that many of you feel the same way as I do, while others do not. I struggle with the need to prove that I'm right and it is shutting me down. I actually went so far as to permanently delete my Facebook account, finding myself too enraged to engage in the increasingly primitive, gladiator-like tactics of its members. I'm tired of not knowing how to wrap my brain around what is going on. I'm saturated with emotion, and I'm stagnating in my own energy. No amount of cute memes, jokes, or angry rants can relieve me.

A walk in my neighborhood, with all of this on my mind, found me contemplating the irony of a large sign that delineated a lot in the neighborhood to handle overflow parking from the surrounding businesses. The lot itself was flooded and unusable. The overflow lot was overflowing. I smiled bitterly, thinking, "Okay. Now what?". Well, now, look: a flock of ibis are striding through it, probing for nutrients -seeds, snails and tadpoles that are thriving under the shadowy surface. Now, even though it's cold, the rain has stopped, the sun is almost shining and inevitably, the water will recede, the lot will dry. Soon, people will park their cars there again, relieving the congestion of parking lots in the community. The community will experience relief; so will I. How does this observation relate to my own unrest? How does this moment in the natural world address my own need for a fair and balanced existence?

I asked my Creator, " What makes relief for me possible?" I didn't like the answer: Acceptance. It led me to another question: "How do I accept this answer"? I didn't like the answer: Give it time I had to go for one more: "How do I give that time?" Hmmm, not so bad: Create, stay curious through your imagination, suspend your judgement.

A lot is overflowing right now. For everyone, everywhere. In the stagnating recesses of my own pooling emotions, I have just released a gorgeous flock of snow-white ibis, majestic, ancient birds who are said to represent communication, exploration, transition and trust. They are busy and focused, reflecting a sense of balance and alignment as they eliminate the pests dwelling in my subconsciousness. Let them do their job. I have better things to give with my time. Wow Street, beautiful and awful (aweful?) is where I have chosen to make my home.

I wish for all of you that you can foster acceptance and make friends with time. If I want to live on Wow Street, it's not a choice!

Until Next Time, Annie x0x0x0x0x