Laine's Blog, Thinking Out Loud

Remember?

 

Sometimes it is impossible to remember

that we live on an improbable accidental planet

that might not have come into existence

without the perfect balance

of gravity and heat and cold and atmosphere and water

at the perfect distance from our star.

 

Spinning on its axis and orbiting around the sun

 with the moon and our sister and brother planets,

and traveling with our Milky Way Galaxy

through space as our Universe still expands -

our little spaceship Earth is in perfect harmony

with the forces that made it all possible to begin with.

 

And here we are, the "children of flowers" on an evolutionary journey

65 million years in the making and still going strong.

 

So relax,

Earth is on auto pilot and won't fall from the sky anytime soon!

 

This is our time to revel in being alive in a world of wonder!

We do live in a beautiful world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: NASA, Earth Rise one of the first photographs of Earth from space.

Children of Flowers, borrowed from Maria Papova and her Marginalian.

 

 

Hidden Gifts...

 

 

 

What I have been trying not to say out loud,

is that there are blessings or gifts hidden in tragedies,

and these gifts may not be obvious for some time to come,

but they are there.

 

If we can make a commitment not to let the anger and helplessness

allow us to disconnect,

and instead turn to our friends and families,

and really see them in that deep way that keeps love alive,

then that compassion spreads to our neighbors, and the person behind the counter,

and we become part of the force that moves us away from the madness,

and towards creating a loving and compassionate world.

 

Be gentle with each other and kind and open.

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from Laine's Blog, 4/2013 and 6/2016

 

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

 

Things...

 

 

I am a thing

among other things.

 

There was a little book

in the "Tiny Library"

next to the little playground

which is next to the community garden

in my neighborhood.

My young friend wanted to play on his own

for a little bit,

so I picked up the little book,

"The Alphabet of Grace"

to peruse

and sat on the bench

to read.

 

I forced myself to remember that line,

or close to it

because it seemed to equalize everything!

 

Me, the swing set, the sliding board,

the moon and the stars.

 

We are all just here,

doing what we do

with all of the rest of nature and things!

 

Why be so serious?

Relax.

Enjoy!

 

You are just a thing

among other things!

No better

and no worse either!

 

Make good trouble!

 

 

 

 

When I went back to borrow the book, it was gone!

But I found the author on line, Frederick Buechner.

Photo of lizard on a thing, at the edge of the garden,

© 2021 Laine Quinn

 

 

Wild Flower...

 

Shamrocks seed themselves

all over St. Augustine.

Wild?

I think so!

Delightful?

Definitely!

Lucky?

Let's hope!

 

 

 

Violets too, much to my delight!

©2021 Laine Quinn, backyard shamrocks.

A Round of Robins!

 

Noisy birds in the Hollies

dozens of them

with a familiar sound from childhood

Robin Red Breasts

 feasting in Florida

away from the Arctic Air and ice up North,

and stopping for a bath!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Robins, a long way from home and probably glad of it, the original "Snow Birds!"

©2021 Laine Quinn

 

 

Teach Us...

 

Teach us to care and not to care

Teach us to sit still.

                                               T.S. Eliot

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the poem "Ash Wednesday"

Photo ©Laine Quinn

Boat on a pond in Wellfleet.

More Light After a Storm...

 

 

St. Augustine Harbor

looking east, with the sun low in the west

lighting up the sky,

after an afternoon storm.

 

(True Colors!)

 

 

 

 

 

©LaineQuinn 2015 St. Augustine, Florida

 

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

How Are You Doing?

 

 

It's that time of year -

in a very odd year _

when emotions are raw and memories haunt you.

 

 

 

Riding waves of feelings,

not knowing where they come from,

or why,

or how long,

you hang on.

 

 Storms come and they go,

and you hang on.

You hang on.

 

 

 

 

And they go.

 

 

Life is still life -

imperfectly perfect.

 

Stay safe,

and patient

and perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2020 Laine Quinn

A Change in Perspective...

 

 

Simple.

A little planet in a grand and glorious galaxy

in an unimaginable universe.

 

Our little rock is spinning on its axis,

rotating around our star, the sun,

which is rotating in the galaxy,

which is traveling in the universe,

with other galaxies

and planets and stars.

 

We've learned so much in the last 50 years!

What will we find in the next 50 years?

 

Time will tell!

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving!

 

How can a year as strange as 2020

appear to be whizzing by?

 

Already Thanksgiving!

And still grateful -

for the moon and stars and planets

(especially this one!) -

grateful for blue skies and rain

trees and flowers

wild waves and calm.

 

Grateful to be alive and well

and loving

and loved.

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

 

 

Girl picking flowers depicted on a tile found in the lost city of Pompei.

 

A Gift!

 

 

Out of nowhere

nature paints a rainbow

coming out of the horizon

and it's just sitting there!

 

I see a guy

coming along in the distance,

too far to shout out

but somehow I get his attention

and point to the rainbow

and he

excitedly

gives me a thumbs up!

 

He saw it too!

 

And

then the little rainbow

just

disappeared!

 

 

 

 

 

Vilano Beach, 11/20/2020

©2020 LaineQuinn

 

 

Just Because...

 

 

Just because light and color conspired to spread joy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Connections...

 

"...when we try to pick out anything by itself,

we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

                                                                                       John Muir

 

 

 

 

 

Quote from Brain Pickings on Sunday, by Maria Popova.

Butterflies from St. Augustine, Key West and Baltimore. © Laine Quinn

Just Ask Any Whale...

 

It's a good idea to embrace

the other's otherness,

because

we are the other's other.

 

 

Just ask any whale!

 

 

 

 

 

We are all in this together!

Two Whales, ©2015, Laine Quinn, Cape cod

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!

 

Everyday...

 

Everyday - at least once a day -

Picture your perfect world.

At least once, for a few minutes or more!

Everyday.

 

 

 

 

 

Vilano Beach Reflection, © 2020 Laine Quinn

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.

I Won't Hate You For It...

 

Never met a stranger

 

When I heard that sentiment many years ago,

I spent several days, weeks, months scratching my head.

What on earth did it mean?

 

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks - of course -

none of us are strangers to one another.

As Joni Mitchell put it so many years ago,

 

"I see something of myself in everyone..."

 

All of our vulnerabilities and insecurities,

all of our hubris and self righteousness -

we all share these things.

Anxiety, arrogance, shame, hate, joy, love, ecstasy, balance -

Who hasn't experienced these emotions and lived to see another day?

 

Our humanity is what connects us.

Perfectly imperfect.

 

Some of us love dogs, others cats.

Some people love the ocean

and for others it's the mountains and valleys.

 

I like blue!

What's your favorite color?

(I won't hate you for it!)

 

 

 

Family at the beach ©2020 Laine Quinn

 

Deep Breath...

 

 

Let's be patient with one another.

We are all in this for the long haul

and depend on each other to remain safe and healthy.

Love and kindness are our best tools to see this through.

Love and kindness and patience.

 

Deep breath.

 

 

 

Sunrise, Saint Augustine Beach, Yesterday!

©2020 Laine Quinn

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

 

Human Kindness...

 

Humans are hardwired for kindness and cooperation.

That's how we've gotten this far.

That's how we will go even farther.

As far as we can imagine!

Kindness.

Compassion.

Empathy.

Generosity.

 

 

We take good care of each other.

Let's be patient and trusting -

Like the good earth that we share.

 

 

 

 

 

Shadow and light on the beautiful leaves of the White Bird of Paradise.

©2020 Laine Quinn

 

The Best Way...

 

 

A walk on the beach.

Blue sky

Ocean

Sand

Nature stands by.

Peaceful

Beautiful

Sometimes thundering

 

And what are the humans doing?

 

Try to be nice!

It is the best way.

 

 

 

 

 

©2020 Laine Quinn, St. Augustine Beach, June.

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.