Laine's Blog, Thinking Out Loud

Let The Autumn Light Reach You

 

What nourishes you

in the middle of a Pandemic?

 

What nourishes you

when political forces take a dark turn

and plunge us into a past that should be long forgotten?

 

 

For me it is Poetry -

Poetry and Music that soothe my soul

and the beauty all around me -

flowers still blooming in our Florida gardens and

the angle of the sun in the trees at a certain time of day,

and of course the beach!

And happy dogs and peaceful cats!

And friends, young and old!

 

Let the autumn light reach you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2021 Laine Quinn, photo of Spanish Moss in Live Oaks at Washington Oaks State Park.

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

October - harvests and bright moons, bales of hay and straw, pumpkins,

ghosts and goblins, spider webs, dressing up and acting out.

What was your favorite costume for Halloween?

Mine was Robin Hood!

I remember a burlap tunic, a bow and arrow and the perfect pointed hat.

I think that my mother made it for me.

 

Did you have a scary neighbor like we did?

Of course the only reason we were afraid of her was

because she was sooooooo old and she lived alone and

she had a cat.

Now I am old-ish and I live alone and I have a cat!

Scary!

 

 

 

Reprinted from Laine's Blog's very first year, 10 years ago!

This month I will do a retrospective of my favorite blog posts from those years!

I hope you enjoy them!

Happy Halloween!

Laine

Not Like That...

 

I wanted to write about the unsettling times we find ourselves in

and then there was that date,

September 11, 2021

staring me in the eye.

 

In 2001, almost a week after that horrible day,

I was on a sailboat in Provincetown Harbor

and witnessed the most magnificent sunset

caused by the dust in the air all the way from 

New York City to Cape Cod,

from that terrible tragedy at the World Trade Center Towers.

 

I lived in Provincetown at the time and my friend invited me out on the water.

Planes were still grounded and it was eerily quiet and peaceful, calm and beautiful.

 

We talked about how the U.S. behaved in the world

and how that created more enemies than friends.

 

The Country stood still for a while - 

collective grief - shock - compassion - empathy.

 

And you know the rest of the story.

They said,

"Get on with your lives." "Go shopping."

We'll start a war or two and make it right.

 

A primitive response lacking insight, intelligence, even compassion for the victims.

It's not what their families wanted.

 

It wasn't misguided -

it was exactly what some people wanted.

 

Will America ever be the Beacon of Democracy she promised to be?

 

Not like that.

Not like that.

 

 

 

 

 

©Laine Quinn 2021, photo September 17th, 2001.

 

 

America Is...

 

America is a mess...

 

But the good news is this:

Americans are good people

and love is rising above hate

and kindness is spreading in every neighborhood.

 

There is more that connects us than divides us

and optimism is our only choice and our hope

for the future of 

the American Dream of Self Governance.

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

 

 

 

 

Earth Day

 

 

That we dedicate a day for the celebration of the Earth

is absurd and also necessary.

 

The, so called, "most intelligent" creatures that life has spawned

can't even protect that which sustains their very existence.

(It wasn't always this way.)

 

There are people involved in the destruction of our air, water and soil

who just don't care.

They don't see the earth as a living, breathing, life sustaining entity -

all they see is profit and power.

 

They continue to exploit the natural resources that belong to all of us

without consideration of the consequences,

much to our peril

and all in pursuit of profit and the power that comes with it.

 

Promises are made and broken.

They just don't care.

 

You and me - we can do our part and should continue to do our part -

but until corporations and governments stop tearing the fabric of life apart

we are doomed.

 

 

It is a few at the top,

the very top of the pyramid who allow the destruction to continue.

 

There are new promises in the works that will help to mitigate the destruction -

let's hope it is not too little too late

and that those promises are not broken.

 

It is time to hold their feet to the fire -

hold those in power accountable and don't let up.

 

 

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,

tied in a single garment of destiny.

Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."

 

                                                                        Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

©LaineQuinn 2021

In an attempt to remain positive in my blog, I must say that I am positive that we are in a very precarious situation!

 

Getting Grounded...

 

Grounded in springtime -

planting and potting and cleaning!

And the Cicadas are due any minute now!

We called them the 17 year Locusts.

 

Magicicada.

 

Living as nymphs, 8 feet below the surface,

feeding on tree root sap in underground bunkers,

(and I thought they were sleeping!),

17 years later,

they emerge through tunnels that they create,

to shed their skins

and reveal the insect that we are familiar with,

the Cicada.

 

 

The males sing their hearts out

waiting for a reply from a willing female.

 

5 weeks later they are gone - deceased- it's over -

except for the thousands of eggs left behind in the bark of their preferred trees.

These eggs become larvae that fall to the ground

and become the hardy nymphs that live quietly underground

for a very long time!

 

Yes, the "song" can be annoying, deafening even,

but it is truly fascinating to ponder such a life

and to witness its Grand Finale!

 

Grounded indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2021 Laine Quinn

Photo of a bog on a farm nearby!

 

 

It's Time...

 

Imagine a world where the inspired leaders of our young nation

had been inspired enough to include women in those first drafts of the

Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

 

Would there have been the wholesale murder of the indigenous people who helped us settle this wild land??

Would there have been slavery?  Civil War?

Industries that destroy our air and water and health?

Factory farms? Economic disparities?

The Atomic bomb?

A military set on destruction and aggression and not peace?

 

Perhaps and perhaps not.

 

240 odd years later it is incumbent upon us, the heirs of an imperfect plan,

to right this ship and set it on a course of cooperation and partnership

with each other and our beautiful ailing earth.

 

The old way is crumbling and fighting to the bitter end to deny equality and justice for all.

 

Representative Government must represent the voices of a livable future -

a livable present.

Be vigilant in demanding true representation of your true values.

 

As the young poet, Amanda Gorman, said in her beautiful poem on inauguration day,

America is...

 

...a nation that isn't broken,

but simply unfinished...

 

Women are now included and people of color are now included,

immigrants are now included.

 

It's Time!

 

 

 

 

© 2021 Laine Quinn

 

Blessings...

 

An early morning thunderstorm left behind these beautiful clouds for the rising sun to shine upon.

 

May all the storms in our lives be blessings in disguise.

 

 

(Let's hope!)

 

 

 

 

©Laine Quinn 2021, reprinted from Laine's Blog, November 13rd, 2011.

Good Bye...

 

2020

 

Oh My -

Goodbye goodbye goodbye -

and don't come back

ever again.

 

The odd thing about this horrid year

is that the world is more united

than ever before.

A global pandemic has brought us closer.

 

 

The virus crossed from one country to another -

without passport or visa -

sewing together the human race in tragedy and grace.

Tragedy and Grace.

 

 

 

And everywhere in the world

People are kicking 2020 out of the door

and into space

and welcoming the new year -

collectively -

of one mind and heart.

 

A New Year,

perhaps more welcome that any other in our lifetimes.

 

2021

 

You are very welcome!

Come in, come in,

have a seat,

stay for a while.

Hello! Hello!

 

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

(Is it safe to come out yet?)

  

 

 

©2020 Laine Quinn

Keep It...

 

Keep it Kind

and

Patient

and

Heartfelt

and

Simple

and

Sweet!

 

 

The butterfly counts not months but moments,

and has time enough.

 

                                                   Rabindranath Tagore

 

(Dragonflies too!)

 

 

 

 

 

Quotation is from the front of the book,"World of Wonders" by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

I haven't read it yet, but soon will, there is time enough!

Merry Merry, Happy Happy!

ONE MORE DAY...

 

One day more...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love...

 

Here I am surrounded by giant old oak trees,

dripping with spanish moss,

living with a joyful dog

and a handsome cat,

while it feels like the world is coming apart at the seams.

 

It is not.

 

The birds still sing.

The frogs still croak and slap themselves onto the windows at night.

The moon rises and shines.

The sun too.

 

All that is worrying us will change,

and soon.

One way or the other.

 

To quote Wendell Barry,

 

Be joyful even though you have considered all the facts.

 

Be joyful and see the world around you with fresh eyes and love.

 

"Love is why we have hope"

 

 

Love your world!

And hope for the very best for all of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired by the book by Anne Lamott,  Almost Everything, Notes on Hope.

The quote about love is from the back cover and the Wendell Barry quote is found on the inside front cover.

She is fearless and funny and inspiring!

Photo is a view outside of Lake Lure, NC. ©Laine Quinn 2015

 

Peace of Mind...

 

 

An old Spring House in San Miguel, Mexico -

a reminder to be grounded -

in our friendship with ourselves,

with nature,

with each other.

 

 Grounded in uncertainty, and upheaval,

and accepting the times we find ourselves in.

 

Grounded in whatever way you get grounded,

for your very own peace of mind.

 

 

 

 

 

©Laine Quinn

 

Kindness is Contagious...

 

 

In his book, "Humankind, A Hopeful History",

Rutger Bregman writes about cynicism vs. realism.

And I quote:

 

Isn't it telling that in modern usage the realist has become synonymous

with the cynic - for someone with a pessimistic outlook?

In truth, it's the cynic who's out of touch.

In truth, we're living on Planet A,

where people are deeply inclined to be good to one another.

 

So, be realistic. Be courageous. Be true to your nature and offer your trust.

Do good in broad daylight,

and don't be ashamed of your generosity.

You may be dismissed as gullible and naive at first.

But remember, what's naive today may be common sense tomorrow.

 

It's time for a new realism.

It's time for a new view of humankind.

 

 

 

 

It's a good book, with lots of examples of goodness that outweighs the craziness.

Photo of Treaty Oak, in Jacksonville Florida, ©2020 Laine Quinn

They say that this Southern Live Oak tree is over 200 years old, but I would offer that it is way older than that!

 

What Comes After...

 

 

Collectively it is time that we imagine a better world.

No matter what happens in the next months or years,

it is time to put our minds on better things.

 Call it the power of positive thinking,

of visualizing,

of collective prayer -

it all works and can change the world.

 

Psychopathic leaders of politics and industry - be warned -

it is time for the Human takeover of our world.

 

Time to imagine a world where we live harmoniously with the earth,

harmoniously with each other - near and far,

harmoniously with all creatures -great and small.

A world in partnership.

A world of compassion and love and generosity.

 

If it fits in your mind,

it fits in your world.

We are more than what we can imagine.

 

Collectively it's time to imagine

what comes after -

to dream big and have faith in the human heart,

in the human desire for connection.

 

 

 

 

Photos of our Beautiful Planet in the days ahead.

 

Our Future Is In The Balance...

 

American Democracy has been considered

an experiment from its earliest days

and has been observed for over 200 years

to see if self-governance actually works.

 

America has faltered many many times yet she still stands.

The way that we participate in the experiment is up to us.

 

Voting is the most crucial and significant thing that we as Americans

can do to participate in this "grand" experiment.

 

Voting can be manipulated -

by gerrymandering Congressional districts,

by turning people away at the polls,

by intimidating people into not voting at all.

Ballots can be stolen, "misplaced" or rejected for some trumped up reason.

 

It is usually the minority party which is invested in suppressing the vote,

one way or the other.

Once they have power, they will do anything to keep it.

 

Whatever the tactics, it is imperative

that every eligible voter casts their vote

no matter how or who discourages us to do so.

VOTE.

The future is in the balance.

The future of our Earth, our food, our water,

healthcare, Social Security, racial justice.

It is all on the line.

 

Talk to your friends, your family - be sure that they plan to vote.

Our Future is in the balance.

 

 

 

 

VOTE!

 

 

Are You Sure?

 

Are you registered to vote?

Are you sure?

In some areas of the country,

if you have not participated in the last one or two election cycles,

you are purged from the voter rolls.

Period.

 

Do not wait for election day to discover that you are the victim of a voter purge.

 

Check ahead of time, like today.

In my county,

you must be registered to vote at least 30 days before an election

in order to participate in that election.

 

So, double check, even if you are sure that you are registered to vote.

Double check!

Call or visit online your Supervisor of Elections

and be sure that you can participate

in the most important presidential election

of your lifetime - so far!

 

 

 

 

Brought to by Laine, in the historic year of 2020.

Love...

 

 

"Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this

planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers of your own

heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates.

Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge.

Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that

the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation

wisely, but when it is your time don't be afraid to stand up, speak up, and

speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to

peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see,

then the poetry of the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to

manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is

finally at peace with itself."

 

                                                                                   John Lewis

 

 

From his book, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change,

quoted in a Beautiful tribute to John Lewis in Brain Pickings.

 

Surely he walks with the angels!

 

 

 

 

©2020 Laine Quinn - Sunrise, St. Augustine Beach

 

We Are All Humans...

 

We Are all Humans -

wonderfully diverse -

who emerged from the same continent.

 

The differences,

Asian, Indian, Eskimo, Indigenous,

so called Whites, Blacks -

are just labels - tags - meaningless.

 

All Human life on the planet emerged from the continent

now called

Africa.

 

 

People dispersed to all parts of the globe

over thousands and thousands and thousands of years,

adjusting to the different environments in diverse ways.

 

All of the continents on earth are connected

deep in the earth.

All peoples on earth are connected

deep in their hearts.

 

In a sense,

we are all African!

But truly,

All part of one Human family.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: NASA 1,000,000 miles from earth, Africa and Europe.

 

 

Black Lives Matter

 

Yes, we are unfortunately in a time

when we must assert

loud and clear -

that

Black Lives Do Matter.

 

Yet all true spiritual and religious traditions

and scientific facts

proclaim for all to hear

that

We are all one

and

one with all.

 

 

Sure, we are all different colors -

but we are the same race.

In fact there is only the one race -

the human race.

 

All other differentiations are fairy tales -

they are not real or true.

 

Black families have taken a beating for hundreds of years

and it is time for all of us

to stand with all oppressed people and say -

NO MORE!

 

 

 

 

 

©Laine Quinn 2020 Mexican art photographed without giving credit to the artist, sorry.

Change...

 

 

Change is in the air.

Compassion and righteous anger are walking the streets of America with Lady Justice.

There will be no turning back these pages of history ourstory -

no matter what the impeached president says or does.

 

Change is in the air.

This isn't 2 dozen people with automatic weapons

standing on the capitol steps

protesting the lock down because of covid-19.

This is thousands and thousands of peaceful Americans

supporting one another and walking together

to protest the racial inequality that permeates our society.

Protesting militant police who murder innocent people for sport.

 

Change is in the air

and it's not going away.

Police are on notice.

States Attorneys are on notice.

We are watching now.

And we are many.

 

Change is in the air.

Stay vigilant.

Stay safe.

Stay together.

 

 

In 1953, Rachel Carson penned this...

 

"It is one of the ironies of our time that,

while concentrating on the defense of our country against enemies from without,

we should be so heedless of those who would destroy it from within."

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

©Laine Quinn 2020

Take The Day Off...

 

It's Sunday, 

take the day off!

With all of the bad news and incompetence of our government,

and missing being close to our loved ones -

our hearts get heavy.

But that's because of the love in our hearts.

Love and compassion and empathy and sorrow.

So, take a break.

Forget the bad news and focus on the love -

the love inside your Big Heart.

 

 

Love is everywhere evident -

even in this pandemic.

Look inside,

past the confusion and pain,

to the love.

 

That love - your love, my love,

will see us through to the other side of this.

Trust that love.

Feel it.

 

 

 

 

St. Augustine Beach, Sunrise

©2018 Laine Quinn

 

Earth Day...

 

The Earth is breathing a sigh of relief today,

the 50th anniversary of Earth Day,

because her brainy humans have shut down

the engines of pollution.

 

 

No, it can't go on like this  - or can it?

 

(There was a reason that manufacturing left the USA,

besides cheap labor -

lax environmental controls.

Maybe the countries who host these pollutors

will realize what they have sacrificed.)

 

 

 

 

Happy Earth Day!

© 2020Laine Quinn, Angel Wing in the sky.

 

Trust Your Feelings...

 

(Sea gull wondering if it is safe to join the others...)

 

*"If social distancing needs to be extended long term,

scientists recommend forming an inner circle of uninfected friends and family

that you can rely on

to maintain social bonds..."

 

Some others call this a pod -

forming a pod of trusted friends and family.

 

But when can we do that?

When is it safe -

when the very best thing we can do is to isolate?

 

Listen to your heart...

when it feels okay,

then wait another week!

If it still feels okay,

take small steps.

Go slowly.

Be sure.

 

Trust your feelings.

 

 

 

 

*Quoted from a CNN article by Ryan Prior.

© 2020 Laine Quinn St. Augustine inlet with the Schooner, Freedom and a gaggle of gulls. Or should I say a pod?

 

We Must...

 

It might happen to you,

like it did to me -

when you're singing along to an old sad song

trying to hold it together -

that's when it might hit you -

or in the middle of nowhere

talking to your friend, husband or wife -

it might boil over the top

and then you're crying-

trying not to cry

because you are safe -

you are home.

 

But you cry because others aren't safe

or home -

but are in harm's way -

in the path of an invisible tsunami.

 

 

We must be safe.

We must take care of each other even from a distance.

And we must find ways to release the pressure valve from time to time

and cry if we can.

 

We are all in this together.

For the long haul.

We must be patient.

We must take good care.

We must.

We must.

 

 

 

 

For all of the people on the front lines risking it all to take care of us.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

 

Laine

 

 

 

Waves on the Horizon, © Laine Quinn2019

Social Distancing...

 

 

Social distancing not required...

 

 

 

 

Cat (DJ) and Armadillo, the Moon and Venus, Two Butterflies, Cat (Lucy) kisses Gator, Two Web-footed friends, Five Turtles! All Safe.

Pink!

 

 

Where beauty is -

there rests the soul.

 

 

 

 

Azaleas in full force in St. Augustine.

 

 

Be Careful...

 

 

It is difficult to sit still for an invisible catastrophe -

there's no wind, no rain, no flooding -

in fact the weather here is perfect.

 

We have electricity, water, internet, the pantry is full,

and we have each other.

 

So, wash your hands, enjoy each other -

(they are singing from the balconies in Italy!)

get lots of fresh air

and be creative!

 

Don't panic.

Be kind.

and

Be careful.

 

 

Trumpet Flower, ©Laine Quinn 2007!

 

What Greed Has Wrought...

 

 

The hungry, greedy, insatiable snake,

eating its own tail

has gotten to the head.

 

What will he do next?

                                                               Laine Quinn

 

 

 

 

 

Poets...

 

 

Ecola

 

I walked by the sea-creek side.

The wind laughed, the gulls cried.

Sweet water lapped on the salt sand

between the deep sea and the deep land.

                                                Ursula K. LeGuin

 

Years ago, Joseph Campbell told us that the poets would save us.

 

I begin to understand.

 

 

 

From Ursula K LeGuin's book of poems, "Late in the Day."

Joseph Campbell, in his series, "The Power of Myth."

Photo of St. Augustine Beach, ©2020LaineQuinn

 

 

Our Better Angels...

 

It might seem incredulous

that there were peaceful, cooperative, undefended cities in so called prehistory.

But go back as recently as 1492, when Columbus sailed across the Atlantic

in search of a route to China and India.

Luckily for him and his crew,

there was land in between,

and after nearly 3 months of sailing,

they landed in what he named Hispaniola, in the Bahamas.

 

*"The Indians," Columbus reported,

"are so naive and so free with their possessions

that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it.

When you ask for something they have, they never say no.

To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone."

 

How he and his men responded to these handsome, well built people

who carried no weapons,

is shameful and obscene.

 

And thus began the conquest of the Americas,

spreading the European model of power and tyranny like a disease.

 

We are the descendants of these warring people

who believed in a winner take all mentality.

 

We are also the descendants of the peaceful, generous people,

who loved nature and life.

 

We can set our sights on making more and more powerful and accurate weapons.

 

Or we can set our sights on technologies that support life

and can turn back the clock on certain environmental collapse.

 

Love will get us there and respect -

for each other and for the world we live in.

 

Let's let our better angels have their day once again.

 

 

 

*From Howard Zinn's, A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES 1492 - PRESENT.