on housekeeping and the state of the world

Andy is nearing the end of his apprenticeship and is spending many hours holed up in various rooms of our home with a variety of beverages, music and books. This leaves our brood of children and animals left with only me, wanting to go find dad, that other tall person who makes pancakes every morning, plays hide and seek endlessly and has fun in more energetic and less structured ways than mama. 

We’re close and that is so very exciting. And I feel tired and ready for next.

:: :: :: 

I have to say I am having a hard time writing about this stuff this morning. I am not going to delete what I just wrote but I am changing gears, honoring my inclination. I can’t stop thinking about the horrible shooting in Tucson. It makes my entire body ache with sadness.

We chose to have children. We think about endless war, genocide, terrorism, global warming and other realities that make procreation scary. I was terrified to have a kid, wondering what the world will look like in 50 years. This is also the reason we had children. We think about endless war, genocide, terrorism and global warming and, in a way, this propelled us to have kids.

Isn’t it amazing that every single person on the planet, the man who opened fire in Arizona included, were born. We were all babies with potential. We all had a first word, learned to walk, grew into our eye and hair color. We all had encounters with people that shaped what we believe and who we are. It’s pretty dang miraculous and hopeful.

We need a shift in the violent, scary rhetoric being tossed around by politicians and media. For example, Sarah Palin has power and she chooses to say things like “don’t retreat, reload” and she chooses to place gun crosshairs on a map of our country. We live in a world where soundbites trump intelligent discourse and it is her responsibility, as a parent, celebrity and politician, to give some thought to her messaging.

I don’t like our country’s reputation right now. I agree with Keith Olbermann:

We need to put the guns down. Just as importantly we need to put the gun metaphors away and permanently. Left, right, middle – politicians and citizens – sane and insane. This morning in Arizona, this age in which this country could accept “targeting” of political opponents and putting bullseyes over their faces and of the dangerous blurring between political rallies and gun shows, has ended.

This morning in Arizona, this time of the ever-escalating, borderline ecstatic invocation of violence, in fact or in fantasy, in our political discourse has closed.

He demands American politicians and media to abandon violent language and imagery. Hear his full message here. It’s poignant.

I’ll wrap this up with Ben Harper’s With My Own Two Hands. (I recommend clicking to listen to this beautiful version sung with Jack Johnson)

Now I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place

With my own two hands
With my own, with my own two hands

I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you

With my own two hands
With my own, with my own two hands

I’m gonna make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I’m gonna make it a safer place
With my own two hands
I’m gonna help the human race

With my own two hands
With my own, with my own two hands

I can hold you
With my own two hands
And I can comfort you
With my own two hands

But you got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own, use your own two hands

With our own, with our own two hands
With my own, with my own two hands

How will you choose to use your own two hands?