The Importance of Achieving Balance

Subject: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:45 am

Quote :: Tragedy is the shattering of forms and of our attachment to them; comedy the wild and careless, inexhaustible joy of life invincible… [together] they constitute the totality of the revelation that is life, and which the individual must know and love if he is to be purged of the contagion of sin and death.
Joseph Campbell; The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Quote :: The wildflowers were in full bloom, now. The hills just outside the hacienda were brilliant with color. Isabela’s herb garden had never been so fragrant. Chase, Adam, and Dub had ridden off to help Diego with the spring round-up, and Maggie was in the cocina with the rest of the women. Maria was enjoying a moment of solitude. She took a deep breath and let the scents of her mother’s garden fill her head. Most of the time, taking a walk here was her way of relaxing, but not today. She could not shake off a feeling of excitement. Diego had come back from a trip down to Sandy Creek, and returned with rumors that the war was ending.
Maria believed the rumors. For days now, Daniel’s presence had been strong and reassuring. She had come to trust in that presence. Many times over the past three years since he had left, she had felt that he was close, and this morning the feeling was stronger than ever. She found herself watching the ridge of hills that ran southeast of the main house. Something told her that if she looked long enough, and closely enough, she would see him, riding toward her through the bluebonnets and blazing reds and yellows of paintbrush and tickseed. She wished it so strongly that he seemed to appear. It was as though he had come up over the top of the ridge and was riding hard toward her. It took a while for her to realize that it was not an apparition. Once it sunk in that she was truly seeing him, she ran from the yard toward the ridge, watching as he came closer and closer. And then he was off his horse, and picking her up, and the strong arms that she had missed so were truly holding her, and then they were rolling on the ground, in the flowers, laughing and crying and drowning each other with kisses.
from Redstone's Valley

Quote :: “This earth that we inhabit, and where we exist as guests, I think, has its own sense of order and law. We try to interpret that law, but we cannot completely understand it. But if you look closely, you can see that it has its own system of balance. A storm, whether it is a hurricane coming ashore, a snow storm, a strong wind at sea, a drought, or a late summer norther, with its rains and floods, is the way Nature strives to restore that balance. A cold dry winter might suck up the moist, warm air of the Gulf, or the south seas, creating a forceful enough whirling vortex to keep the warm air moving toward the cold north, so that it can reach to where it is badly needed. When that happens, most of the animals in its path will sense that it is coming, and do their best to get out of the way. Human beings, especially those of us who have had our understanding of Nature bred out of us, have the hardest time understanding her power and force, or her objectivity. Sometimes, we find ourselves standing in the way. She makes no promises to us, especially as individuals. Her intent is always about the greatest good for, I would say the greatest number, but that implies a countable objective, so let’s just say she works for the good of the whole, and each of us, to that end, is an expendable part.”
Daniel Redstone in Redstone's Valley

Ann

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:02 am

Thoughtful stuff, Ann concerning nature's balance. Your story is appealing.

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:12 am

Thanks Abe. I hope it tells an entertaining tale, and that any "lessons" it might hold are woven into that adventure, and in proper balance.

Ann

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:26 am

Good thoughts, Ann. We always groan when the news items are full of comments about the reservoirs being low and how they will not recover if the drought continues. As soon as the word,"drought" is used, we know that we are in for weeks of rain. We've just had one of the wettest Junes on record since 1910.

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:24 am

Wanna balance things out and send us some? It hit 107 F yesterday. We were actually hoping that Debbie would head west.

Ann

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:57 pm

Deb doused my Florida well - fortunately my home is a bit south of the worst of it.

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:43 pm

I'm afraid, from the reports, that Betty's home was in the worst of it. I believe Duette is about due east of Tampa. Wasn't that where she came ashore?

Ann

Subject: Re: The Importance of Achieving Balance Wed Jun 27, 2012 4:29 pm

I think so - the beginning.