Flawed
Abundance
“Stripped
of causes and plans and things to strive for, I discovered that everything I could
need or ask for is right here—in flawed abundance.”
Mark
Nepo (The Book of Awakening, p.418, Conari Press, 2000)
The
Taoist have a basic tenant that says: “There is nothing to do and nowhere to
go. Accepting this, we can do everything and go anywhere.” It always seemed
like nonsense to me given the world we live in, which has a billion causes and
needs, all of them worthy. How could we possibly go nowhere and do nothing?
Right now, the world is as devastated as I have ever seen it—struggling under
the burden of a pandemic, a pending economic collapse, and, at least in
America, unable to bring people together enough to even agree on 1) what the
problem is, and 2) how to solve it. It is a hot mess. And the only thing we citizens
can do about it is wait, and wear a mask, and stay home and wash our hands a
lot.
And,
yet…what we have done in the face of it is take care of one another, give generously
to food banks and community food drives, volunteer to work the poles, and help
people get to them to vote. With so much misinformation coming at us, we have
taken it upon ourselves to listen to the scientists and not the propagandists,
and then spread any news of survival and hope. We have heard the lament of our
black and brown brothers and sisters and worked to further the cause of
equality and equal justice, not to mention equal access to medication and treatment.
And we have tried our best to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. We have used
our creative skills to teach and make music and bring joy and worship by way of
social media. Along the way, we have learned a great deal about ourselves—that we
have a “blessed life,” as we like to say around there. When we are stripped
down to only what we can do from home, we find a whole new world of possibilities.
My
friend Ethel died yesterday from complications of Covid-19. Ethel was 97 years
old and lived in a retirement community. She lived an incredibly long and
interesting life as a fearless woman, a legend in her own time. I was blessed
and honored to have called her friend. I will not mourn Ethel’s passing simply
because I know she was more than ready to go, but I will morn for her family
who could not be with her. They are mirrors of the 360,000 other families in
America today who are missing loved ones this holiday season. The gift of this terrible
statistic is that it has taught us in graphic terms what we ought to celebrate
this time of year—not the expensive gifts or lavish parties, but the people we
love who bring us joy. There is a new awareness and deep appreciation for
simple, kitchen-table-ordinary things, like family, good books, enough food in our tummies, our pets, our neighbors, and everyone else we include in our
tribe. In other words, the very best parts of this holy season are still ours,
and for that, I give thanks.
God speed, Ethel. You
graced the earth, and now heaven celebrates your flawed abundance.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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