everyone knows that he’s got high hopes, right? but i wish the song gave us more of a concrete answer.
even the first line kind of hints that it’s not really normal for the ant to have that kind of expectation.
it’s almost taking umbrage at the idea that an ant would even dream to get so far beyond his station in life. like how dare he think he could move that rubber tree plant?
we realize that it’s beyond the norm for a measly little ant to expect something that is so clearly beyond his capabilities.
so why do some people dare to dream while others get stuck in the black holes of life?
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i heard today about a woman who had breast cancer.
a teeny tiny lump was found during a check- up.
during a routine scan before the surgery to remove that itty bitty lump they saw that the cancer was actually much more widespread and she went from having a small amount of tissue excised to having her entire breast removed.
what they saw during surgery made them recommend a short course of chemotherapy to follow-up.
of course the chemo smashed her flat; this is bound to happen when your body is bombarded by poison.
what everyone expected was that this poor woman would be sick sick sick.
what nobody expected was that this poor woman became depressed depressed depressed.
one shock after another just completely exhausted her mental ability to cope and to bounce back from each successive trauma until she was just beyond her capacity.
and she collapsed.
it literally took her the better part of a year being hospitalized to be able to regroup before she was able to lead a functional life again.
and she is just now slowly being able to put the pieces back together.
man oh man.
wouldn’t it be nice if someone could tell us the secret of what makes some people able to pick themselves up and dust themselves off and just keep on keepin on?
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i’ve been reading over old blog posts, and i must confess that i’m really enjoying it. with the passage of time and some measure of emotional distance i can look back with a certain level of fondness at the whole garden experience. i’m seeing things from a fresh perspective. i read some of the entries and i’m calling *h over like, ” you have to hear this!” almost forgetting that i wrote it… but i’m also kind of marvelling at the fact that i made it through the ordeal with my sanity intact.
you may remember from a few posts ago that karl in missouri is going through a very similar fight over a very similar garden in his front yard right now. ( http://vegetableyarden.wordpress.com/) i put a comment on his blog and sent him an email, but i was searching for the right words to say to him that would help him to weather the storm he is in the middle of ( a storm i should officially be an expert at navigating!)- and i couldn’t nail it down. i couldn’t figure out the right thing to say to someone who is stressed out in a fight with his city over a front yard garden. go figure.
i tried to remember if there was anything specific that anyone said to me that especially helped, but i think it was just the idea of people being there. i think it was just the outpouring of love and support. so i tried to pour some love and support karl’s way.
and i think maybe at the end of the day, that’s what tips the scales for any of us. what makes the difference between getting sucked into black holes and living to smile another day is feeling like someone out there loves us and will offer to give us support when we need it.
and even if they don’t know quite the right way to do it, or quite the right words to say, and even if their gestures don’t quite hit the mark, i think offerings from the heart penetrate the heart.
and that’s what i really wanted to say.
Jul 17, 2012 @ 17:39:09
You are such an encouraging person. I love all your posts.
Jul 18, 2012 @ 17:10:23
thank you!
Jul 18, 2012 @ 22:31:40
Technical observation of the woman with breast cancer. Every one knows about the GI problems that come with chemo (nausea, sore mouth etc), but what most people aren’t aware of is that all the cells in the body are affected. It is just because high wear and tear cells like skin.hair and gut lining have a high turn over rate we see and know those first. However, nerve cells have a much slower replacement rate (I’d have to go back and look it up off my textbooks, but it is about 9 months). Therefore, it really isn’t uncommon for people to experience “chemo brain” slower memory, strange sensations, numbness and depression as the nerves are experiencing their first big turn over. So some of what this woman was feeling, might have been due to a higher level of chemo that near the end of the year were having a field day with her body. I’ve worked around people with cancer and always give room that their will to fight may be less – for very physical reasons.
Putting that aside, I think you are asking here one of the huge questions that science needs to figure out. I’ve notice some kids right from the start will seem to have a happy attitude to battle forward while others just fold at the slightest strange glance. It would be easy to say it is all learned, but like you when I’m encourage others I really have to work at find good works. My heart is in the right place, it just doesn’t come naturally. I have an aunt who is alway able to come up with unique things to say that are so perfect. It just bubbles out of her.
The thing that comes clearly through on your blog is your sense of wanting to be the better person, even when you don’t have all the answers. From my side of the fence (as I’m fighting my own battles against a major corporation and my health), it is so comforting to know that there are people willing to keep working for a better way even when thrown some absurb road blocks. And what comedy show can beat chickens playing poker??
Jul 18, 2012 @ 23:49:00
wish i could kiss you right now! after all the funk of the last day or so, you just made my night!