Wish!

I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for the North Country, and so had to go greet the ocean this morning as I'll miss it while I'm home for Christmas. The waves are huge and it's like fireworks watching them, oohing and aahing at the majesty. I do the same thing when it's snowing, so I'm good most anywhere, but they're both their own kind of special. On the way back to get packing, I cut through the canals and crossed the "Wish" bridge, as it had been too dark to really read the wishes on the night of the canal parade.

The idea of putting your best wishes out there to flutter in the wind, in the hopes of them being granted ... I find it lovely. The majority of the hand written wishes were big ideas, like for the world, not the individual and that was nice to see. I'm a big fan of adventures and memories over stuff, so wishing for material things hasn't been my thing for a long time - not when we live in the world we do. Wishes need to be bigger and better ... for the whole humanity picture at this point.

That's why I zeroed in on the wish below ... that "Humanity would realize the beauty they are ... to truly be in their full potential ...  to love freely ... to find the warrior of light within." Man. I couldn't have wished any better myself. Times have gotten so mean and snarky and selfish and greedy ... that it brings you to tears when someone posts a video of someone else doing some sweet, little thing that should just be automatic. We all have it in us to be kind, to be humane ... to be giving of ourselves. There's no material thing out there that can give you the same feeling of kindness without expectation, and knowing that you made someone else feel happier, even if just for a moment. To me, that's what this season is all about. I bet if we all wish for these things together, it will just BE.

I read a great quote from Paul Klee this morning on my word a day page, and it said, "Art should be like a holiday: something to give a (wo)man the opportunity to see things differently, and to change (her) his point of view." Yes. Let us take this opportunity of this beautiful holiday to see things in a new, more humane way, not to just change our point of view, but to change this world. It can be done. With love.

So, I WISH you all a wonderful holiday! I'm going on hiatus for Christmas break back home, but I can't wait to share all of the good stories that are coming in our new year ... in our new world that we wished for. Christmas love to all!

Your Christmas Carol , CJG

A Good Friday Wish

I've been having a bit of a hard time lately. I'm one of those people that really absorbs other peoples' pain, and lately it feels like pain is really beating the pants off of pleasure in the world. It took me ages to stop freaking out over 9/11 (and I'll still bawl if I really get talking about it or see old footage), until my brother finally said one day, "If you don't stop, people aren't going to want to hang out with you." That helped. I like to hang out with people. But lately, it's like everywhere I look it's anger and frustration and sadness and pain, and I really don't know what to do about it.

More terrorism in Turkey and Belgium. Innocent people killed while waiting to travel home to loved ones. The awful violence at political rallies, and the actual (public) re-emergence of the KKK?!?! I really thought we had made so much progress when we elected President Obama, and now it's as if we've back-slid as a country like 50 years. I can't stand it. So I freak out inside. I cry. I rage. And then I go for a walk. Natural beauty is often the only thing that helps.

Today is Good Friday. A time for us to pause and reflect and hope for a better future, with the hope and promise of Easter coming right up. I was consoling myself with thoughts like that when I saw a fuzzed up dandelion, and did the only thing one can do ... picked it up, blew, and made a wish.

A wish that love will conquer all. That everyone can just stop, breathe, collect ourselves, and look at the big picture. The picture that includes social justice for all, equal rights for all, good health and education for all, but most of all, LOVE FOR ALL. No matter where you come from or who you are, you love someone, and someone loves you. Everyone is like that, so why would anyone ever want to hurt someone that has love in them? I realize that this is a tall order, but I also realize that it's pretty much everyone's common goal for themselves. It just needs to be turned inside out to include the whole world. Seriously ... what is so hard about the very simple Golden Rule?

As if to reinforce this message I was thinking, I passed by a quaint wooden gate door, where someone had chalked a heart right across it. There you go. We can do this.

Happy Easter Weekend, to everyone! May all of our wishes come true.



*I just read a quote from Jack Kerouac that said, "Have faith and wait." So I am doing both.