Hugging Mesquite in the shadow of a New President

Honestly, I am stunned.

Donald Trump has been a cartoon character in my peripheral vision for a big part of my life. I've known that he was an obnoxious and very shady businessman, but I've paid little attention to him.

And now, at a pivotal time in world and environmental history, he is my president.

Throughout the campaign he has spouted outrageous and hateful things about so many things that are core to my beliefs and about people I love dearly.

Yes, I am an environmentalist, but I am not that because of a desire to save whales and birds and fresh air. I am that because I believe in and want to make things better for people - all people.

Both as a man and a Christian, I struggle to imagine living any other way. So having a president who wants to deport, exclude, subjugate, and isolate others is beyond disturbing. And having a president who wants to extract every last resource from our planet and leave it a smoking husk is just as disturbing.

So I am looking at a man who has vowed to dissolve the EPA and has mocked those who are working to save a planet that has been battered and damaged by humanity blindly plowing forward with no regard to the consequences.

And I am living in a country where roughly half of the people embrace and regard this man as a hero.

So, what's a Mesquite Hugger to do? Embrace the hatred? Seek common ground?

I started this blog to offer others encouragement, optimism, and the tools to make positive changes.

So, now I am looking for encouragement, optimism, and a few tools to make a positive change.

May we find some common ground and some hope. Failing that, may we find the strength and wisdom to pursue the best path for all.

Serenity

So try this.

Go sit on the porch, or the patio, or wherever (preferably outside) for five minutes.

Sit quietly. Don't fidget. Don't reach for your phone.

Five minutes.

How'd you do?

Try it again tomorrow.

May you revel in the silence.

Saturday Ramblings: July 2016

I opened the Bible to Daniel this morning. I wanted to see a man living faithful to God and self in the midst of an overwhelming culture, a man who rises above being enslaved and having his identity changed. I am seeking a role model. I need a role model.

These feel like dark times.

Yesterday morning started with a dark conversation with a close friend. This was followed by a dark conversation with my boss. Then a co-worker came over to tell me of the violence in Dallas.

My lens is now much darker. As the temperature rises, so do violence and hatred.

In my better moments, that has me praying and seeking role models like Daniel and Gandhi. In my weaker moments it has me seeking distraction like electric cars and cargo bikes.

May our legacies be defined by our better moments and our pursuit of peace for all. May we not be derailed by bullets, anger, or modern distractions.

May you know peace.