5-4-21
10:19 am Tuesday
It is Tuesday, a beautiful day. Viggo is working hard on taking care of the animals before I take him to Seattle to spend the day with his Nana, my mother. He really is doing well. I have been considering what values I want to teach him. ATM is at the top of the list. I have been chatting with him that one needs to encourage the values one wants to exist in the world.
This is easy to say to my son, but a hard to practice.
For example, one can brush against people who are in so much pain that they cannot help but inadvertently try to drown you in the throws of their agony. The pain they are experiences nearly erases you, you are not another person to be seen, cared for or to love, but something they try to clamber upon to extricate themselves from the ocean of their despair. What should one do? I believe many of us want to put as much distance between ourselves and those infected with such misery. I believe this is a normal and healthy response to a dangerous agent. One can also recognize the danger of the situation and one can try to be loving and helpful to the other to their best abilities based on the values most of us hold. One can take it as an opportunity to encourage hope, one could see it as purpose, that you are the one that is being clung to. But this is troublesome situation because this pain and desperation can drown you. I believe everything wants to be. Light and darkness are always trying to find balance and there is a competition of values trying to dominate the landscape. One who tries to rescue, one who sacrifices, one who tries to extent themselves, to love, can be pushed inadvertently under the dark waters. I believe most of us are struggling and finding the strength and hope to keep ourselves afloat, and this is quite the challenge; offering others help is quite heroic, but surprisingly most of us do. I hope to instill in my son hope and strength so he can keep himself afloat and help a few around him as best as he can. I want him to know that life is good. I also want him to recognize the danger as he helps others and does his best, know that the darkness swims in menacing shadows amongst us and in us and for him to persevere!
I love my son, I love my wife, I love my family. Thank you both for swimming with me in these strange waters.
I am thankful for this opportunity.