Thursday, October 18, 2007

The Things I take for Granted

I will have to miss out on my regular Wellness Wednesday post for this week. I do promise to make up for it the coming days.

My apologies as well if it seems I have been turning up too many "me's"...

This was a bad picture to start with you see...I simply wanted to delete it from file..instead I played along with angles and blotches of light and shading. Imagine my surprise as I slowly observed the picture mutate into life...a tinge of drama even....to reveal a real me...

I usually smile for the camera...This is a rare pensive shot....I like it..

I think I'll keep it.

It is a reminder of the precise moment I was thinking about women...the woman that I am..the women that I know..and the women who are strangers to me but connected still...Connected because I believe that we are all fused together...no matter where or who we are...

It was for the women whose names I know not that I had this look for....I was thinking of them...Their struggles and hardships and pains and sufferings. Women literally living their everyday lives in fear...hiding in shelters...fearful to thread outdoors...I see them in pictures...in lands so far far away it seems to be another world...How beautiful they are in their courage...how compassionate they are with life...in spite of their condition..their circumstance..living in the midst of guns and bullets and bombs...seeking as much as possible to build a semblance of normalcy as the sun arises...

I wish I had magic.....magic to set them free...

How uncaring I can oftentimes be to take for granted the freedom I enjoy. In this little island I am free to laugh..to cry..to scream..to be whoever I want to be...In my island women keep home...some big, some small, some pretty, some shabby...but home it is.

In my island women drive cars and command businesses..they rise up to the echelons of power if so desired...In my island we had a woman for president..we still do....

In my island if I do not want to cook I grab a metal stick that talks back to me..."what is your wish it asks...hamburger, pizza, fried chicken..chinese, japanese, indian, thai, malaysian, italian, Kenny G, spaghetti....whatever........Your wish is my delivery" ....Like magic it comes in wheels, bows and calls me queen.

And what of them who have to hope.....to wait.....to fight for noonday subsistence?

Makes me wonder....with a tinge of heartache...

When will fear stop?...When will all the bloodshed end?..

When will all the tears stop falling

.....for all our sisters living in the midst of war, famine, and fury...

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautiful photo, luxie, i like the pensive look. and sometimes it's the "bad" shots that really shwo the real "me"...;)
this post flowed with your thoughts, your feelings. it was beautifully written and all i can add is .. "amen".
foam

Lydia said...

Hello Luxie, I love your photo in this post. There is a mystical air to it. You've really expressed your self beautifully in this post, reguarding women and the many differences between each of us around the world. You have a very nice blog.

sandy said...

What a beautiful post and great photo. Just found your blog. I'll bookmark it and be back to visit when I get a free moment.

sandy

Rose - Watching Waves said...

Very thoughtful. I read an article recently about a woman who prayed each day for a woman in Afghanistan, someone she didn't know, just someone she imagined. She thought about how her day went, what her family was like, what feelings and emotions they might share as women of the world. Very moving. We are all One, aren't we?

rebecca said...

luxie: how poignant your post. you have a poet's heart for your words are carefully chosen and beautifully presented. and, i love the picture.

best, rebecca

Gill said...

Your best gift to them is to live your life to the fullest. Enjoy your life as much as you can, for the sake of those who cannot.
Loved that photo, it is real. Sometimes we are pensive. It is a great shot.
I worry about our world too, so much pain and suffering out there. We do have it lucky, don't we?
xo
Gillian

Guatyen said...

love love love the photo luxie! i have some accidental shots that turn out pretty good too.

the world seems to be going downhill doesn't it? and to mull over what can we as an individual do? one can get depress. but i still belief there is always light in darkness, good will come out from all these trying times. when there is even a fragment of love in ones heart, it'll do wonders! and we women have lots to share don't we? it's part of our natural being, eg. a mother's love to a child, it's power and strenght can go a looong way!

darkfoam said...

....and here's to a very special sister...
xoxo
thinking of you today and your family.

Unknown said...

Hello,
I read your post on Marion's blog. You asked about Reiki. I am a Reiki Master Teacher and hopefully I can help you understand Reiki.
Reiki, pronounced (ray-key) is a Japanese hands on healing and relaxtion technique. Reiki can be administered to a client either by light touch to different parts of the body or non-touch just above the body in the aura field.
I usually have healing music playing in the background and the room is filled with aromatherapy scents. The client lays on a table (like a massage table) fully clothed and with eyes closed. The reiki practitioner then starts to gound themselves and ask for spiritual help so the client can draw energy to the areas that need it. The sessions last approx. 45 mins to an hour. When it is over the client will be relaxed and may have felt the energy as a warm or cool sensation or a tingling or may have not had any physical sensations at all. They will be relaxed. The reiki stay with the person and when one who receives it stays focused on what is happening in their life then they will notice how the universe has helped them. How may sessions a person needs is entirely up to the person.
If you are interested there are many books to read on the subject.
I would suggest "Essential Reiki", by Diane Stein. This good for beginners. I hope this helps.
Just for today.
Be Happy

Merisi said...

You are such a beautiful person, inside and out. Image and words reflect that.

Thank you for your kind comment on my blog, it's always a sweet pleasure seeing you there.

HLiza said...

I agree with you Lux..we often think so much of ourselves but forget how lucky we are compared to so many women in other parts of the world. Thanks for this..

Marion said...

How amazing...I came to give you some info on Reiki, and Dave has beat me to it! And very well described, too.

I'm enjoying catching up, luxie...time slips away. I love the photo and your words flow with your feelings. It's beautiful...thank you!

X. Dell said...

Interesting questions at the end. What do you make of them? Where do you suppose the answers lie?

beezee~bee said...

sprinkle some of ur magic ere lux..i wanna b set free too ;p
love d photo, really ;p

Graciel said...

Your words are an oasis to any soul who reads them...thank you.

Amber Cargile said...

Luxie, you are a sensitive soul. You are right...we are so fortunate, those of us who live in free societies. It wasn't even 100 years ago here when women did not have the right to cast a vote. Yet still amazing to think that women are still subjugated in so many societies around the world. I love Gillian's advice to live your life to the fullest as a gift to those women. And I love Rose's idea for us to pray/meditate for them as well. I believe the positive energy helps. I also believe it lifts our own souls and makes us more grateful for what we have. Freedom isn't free, is it?

Amber Cargile said...

Luxie, I also wanted to add that you are so right about blogging enriching our lives. It connects us women (and men!) around the globe on a personal level...and more than politicans, diplomats, or religious leaders, I think this is how we work toward love and peace in the world...one human connection at a time.

Guatyen said...

hey you... howya doing? *hugsy*
hope you're feeling better!
xo

BJ said...

Hi Luxie - Linked here from Sandy! Your post is lovely as is your photo. You have a beautiful family!

So very interesting to link to others in cyberspace. Always love meeting new friends. And learning about other cultures. Will bookmark here. Thanks for sharing.

sparringK9 said...

what a perfect post for me to find as i range over to thank you for stopping by the yard...you made me light up when i saw that you came. i have taken so much for granted and now i am in a place where i will have to work hard to get it back. i love the photo as i have all the ones you have taken of yourself...the photos of the lovely tables youve set, the meals, the land and the places you go...they are all you. i like the "me"posts you do makes me wish you were next door. thank you lux for being lux.

Helene said...

I like the photo... you look so deep in thought. It was perfect for this post I think.

Its not a very fair world out there... I think its helpful to remember just how lucky we are instead of having a pitty party for what we dont have!

xo

Synchronicity said...

oh i love this photo of you very much...there is such a depth here in your visual representation and of course your writing. you are a remarkable woman!

Mayden' s Voyage said...

Hugs- hugs- hugs...whatelse can I send?
Love to you- I spoke with "she" tonight- she is well-
Prayers answered friend- from a zillion miles away...she felt them :)
-me :)

Lady Prism said...

Hello everyone...Whew..kinda' like a long list...I'd like to thank you all for dropping by and sharing so much of your thoughts...I'll be blog hopping to your sites too!