Observing people

I had an appointment to keep today which meant I had to get up early even though I was not working.
I took a book and my transit pass and headed for the light rail line.
I left a bit early so I could get off at the first stop and buy some coffee to take with me. I have changed coffee shops but not because of taste, ambiance or cost. I changed because I feel more welcomed by the people in the new coffee shop. Not everyone was unfriendly or made me feel uncomfortable in the other shop, actually there was only one young woman who made me feel less than comfortable. It had to do with a question I asked when she charged me more than I had been charged before. I asked if the price had gone up and she treated me like I was lying to her which was awkward and embarrassing.  The other ladies are quite nice but it only takes the possibility of that one person being behind the counter to make me turn to the right instead of the left when I get off the light rail.

This morning, in the new shop - which is not really new except to me - the young women were not only friendly, they remembered what I bought last time and asked me about my weekend. I felt good buying the coffee from them. It is nice to be part of a neighborhood and a good way to start the day.
   
On the light rail going downtown I watched as a young man who was clearly blind got on the train with another person, possibly his tutor or daily companion. There is a section that is clearly marked for people with disabilities or who are elderly but no one got up for this young man. I was not close enough to offer my seat but I watched as others shifted their eyes so as too appear like they didn't see this blind man who needed a seat. His companion looked around but no one looked back so he led the young man up the stairs to a regular seat. I felt slightly embarrassed for the lack of compassion or even courtesy or just willingness to follow the rules: "These are priority seats for seniors and people with disabilities!" That means you must get up if you are not a senior and not disabled and offer your seat if someone gets on who fits the description.

Later on the train I was trying to read my book but kept being distracted by a young man about twenty years old who was make noises with a small chain attached to a water bottle. I looked up to see what the noise was and met his eyes briefly. They were blood shot and he seemed to be high on something... marijuana I supposed - since he was in a good mood but unable to hold still like a small child. He started hitting his metal water bottle against his hand or knee in a way that was not musical or rhythmic. I kept reading and at another stop someone got on and sat down across from the noise maker.

The young man began sharing how he was going to drop off a job application at a pizza place. He held up a large envelope that he had with him indicating that it held the application. He then began to talk about how as soon as he had this job he would be able to get an apartment and contribute to the city in a positive way. Contrary to reality he said that housing in the city was plentiful and he would have no problem finding a place right away. All the while that he talked he kept tapping or shaking his water bottle. He also mentioned that he didn't do drugs although he said "I do drink" and added that he thought that drinking contributed to the city's economy. I felt kind of sad thinking that I couldn't imagine anyone hiring this young man to work around people. He was very oblivious to his behavior which was annoying not only to me, but to a number of people who kept glancing at him as he made noises. Eventually he got off the train. I had a good long way to go.

After changing trains I sat down across from a young man who was very very high on something, meth I supposed. He was moving non-stop with his arms and face gesturing and acting as if he was communicating somehow with someone no one else could see. The much older woman who was seated nearest to him was clearly uncomfortable, maybe a bit scared since the young man's gesturing was very elaborate. He got off after a couple of stops and I thought that he had made the noise maker of the last train seem almost normal.

There was a couple with a toddler seated by the window. The little boy was very excited to be on the train. The woman, who I assumed was his mom, kept up a running dialogue with him about everything that was happening. When I first got on the train he looked over at me, smiled and waved. Sometimes it makes me happy to look like a grandmother... I am a grandmother after all and little people feel comfortable around grandmothers. Smiles are nice gifts.

There was another child who got on the train downtown very reluctantly. His caretaker had to coax almost pull the little guy onto the train. She was a woman who would only have been his mother by adoption since they were not of the same ethnicity. I thought that she was more likely a babysitter or caretaker of some sort. I wondered how I would know without making a fool of myself if this woman was supposed to have this unhappy child with her but as I watched them together I could see that she was very gentle and he was eventually at ease with her even if he had not wanted to get on the train at first. Sometimes we just trust that things are okay.

It is amazing that I was able to read so much of my book and get so much people watching in at the same time. I like being out in public. I am wondering what some of the other transit riders were thinking when they saw me!   

Out and About

At last! Milder weather and returning strength. The cold weather combined with a fall and a few minor ailments left me with less energy for getting out into the world. But at last I am feeling my strength coming back.
I am really pleased that so many people are popping up all along the walking trail. It makes me happy to see so many neighbors out enjoying the fresh air. Many people are now walking down to take the light rail in to town and others are walking or biking since the finished trail makes for a safe and pleasant walking environment.
I have lived in my current home for more than 30 years and I have never felt as happy about the neighborhood as I do now. The walking/biking trail and the light rail access have made a huge difference. There are now two coffee shops at the first light rail stop and both seem to be thriving. With that stop being midway from my daughter's house and my own we can meet in between without driving much more easily than before. In fact with the opening of the light rail the bus that goes by closest to my home now turns and goes right by my daughter's house. It is a lovely alternative to driving that I appreciate more and more with time.
I met a lady on the trail this morning who I have not seen in some time. She is the mother of a  childhood friend of one of my daughters. She told me that she is trying to get out walking more and then she remarked that I was looking younger than before. I translate that to mean that she noticed that I am not carrying extra weight because walking and a vegan diet have been very healthy for me.
Did I also mention that my acupuncturist is a block off the light rail as well? It is just lovely to be so connected and yet to live where I can raise chickens and grow a garden. Life is good. 
I am hoping to get back to riding my bike as well when the weather is a bit more reliably dry. I may not have the stamina to ride the 8.5 miles into work anymore, but I can certainly ride the trail for fun whenever I like. Last evening my husband and I took the light rail into Milwaukie for dinner and to run some errands and while we were walking we discovered a real sign of transition next to City Hall -- a bike repair station available for anyone in need! Let me tell you, what a huge change that is for the City of Milwaukie. When my children were in school progressive/alternative/or forward thinking were not terms that were generally used to describe the town. But now! I am really impressed and although  hope not to have my bike break down when I am riding... it is great to know where I could go if I was in need! Pretty impressive Milwaukie!

Fasting

Wednesday marks the start of Lent. For Christians Lent is a time to reflect on the way that they are living in relationship to others. 

Lent also gives another opportunity to become overwhelmed by the abundance of the natural world. Caught up in everyday routines it is very easy to become oblivious to the abundance that is part of Creation and instead become caught up in the frantic desire to protect one's self against scarcity – which is a major force behind capitalist economics.

If more is always better, safer somehow, then how do people know when they have enough? When to quit accumulating or eating? There may be a financial goal to reach before a decision to marry, or have children, or before buying a house, or going back to school or changing from a horrible job to one that is more fulfilling or before retiring or whatever the goal might be… but strangely enough, the goal can keep expanding out in the face of the fear of scarcity that fuels our economy; an economy that is based on more and more and more until the abundance of Creation is entirely reduced to commodities that are daily being destroyed.

The need for more and more has motivated humans not only to take more than they need from the land and the sea, but has promoted ways of producing that pollute land, air and water while denying creatures any enjoyment of the life for which they evolved. Here I speak specifically of factory farms which raise both animals and fish in unnatural ways in order to feed the over consumption fostered by those who make money in these industrial operations. 

Lent can be a time to become conscious of abundance – an abundance that is daily being diminished by human greed, but which many people believe is still abundant enough to recover if only humanity can put on the brakes. I want to believe that this is true even though I am aware of the great depletion of the seas and the variety of seeds and wild or natural life in general.

Writing in his book Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating, (Cambridge University Press, 2011) Norman Wirzba says that “Creation is the concrete manifestation of God’s sacrificial love” and that “it is an imperative that food production and consumption recognize and honor the costly grace of life.” 

He notes that “as creatures made in the image of a self-giving God, humanity’s most fundamental task is to participate in God’s self-offering life dedicated to the nurture and well-being of all creatures…" And that, "the paradigm of eaters as mostly unknowing and uncaring consumers is a dangerous one because it suggests that people can eat without concern for the health of the soil, the plants, and the animals they depend upon. (p. 135). I believe it is imperative that people become conscious eaters if the rest of Creation is to have a fair chance at survival.”

Wirzba also cautions that those who eat animals must do so in ways that respect their integrity and well-being and therefore honor God. But for this condition be met it is crucial that these animals be accorded the attention and care that reflects God’s own self-giving care for creation.(136-137).

Those people who choose not to eat any fish, animals or dairy, and I include myself in this category, do so because we are aware that more than 95 percent of chickens, turkeys, laying hens, and pigs, 78 percent of cattle, and virtually all fish currently sold in the US are raised without "the attention and care that reflects God’s own self-giving care for creation". There are not enough animals raised with the dignity they deserve to satisfy the needs of all who want them – nor is there the necessary amount of land, water or other resources to make a complete switch away from the terrors of factory farms if everyone continues to consume the same amount of meat, dairy, eggs and fish. Less is best: for the health of all creation.

During Lent, Catholic Christians are called to give up meat on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays, and to fast between meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting and abstaining can help people to develop the discipline that is needed in a world that is filled with material goods and access to more than enough of everything.

“How we eat, what we eat, and how much demonstrate what we think our responsibilities to each other and the world should be...People who fast learn that food is a gift and is not to be taken for granted or exploited...When we fast, we learn that too much of the time personal life is marked by an aggressive or rapacious disposition... When we fast, we learn that in many of our actions we presume that the world’s gifts exist for our own exclusive enjoyment...Fasting, in other words, leads us to a realization about the responsibilities of life together. When we refrain from eating, we not only demonstrate solidarity with those who do not have food to eat, but we also demonstrate that food is the precious gift of a self-giving God. It is a gift not to be taken for granted or to be presumed upon. We need to refrain from eating from time to time so that we can more fully appreciate food as a gracious gift, and then also practice the self-offering that will enable others to eat when they don’t have enough." (142)

Wirzba makes the point that feasting is not the opposite of fasting… rather it is gluttony that is the opposite of fasting. Gluttony is an obsession with eating where the stomach and taste buds rule. A glutton not only takes more than they need, they spend much of their time thinking about food and how to satisfy their particular desires. Feasting on the other had is the recognition of God’s grace in the gifts we receive. We generally associate feasting with food.. but we can feast on other things, a glorious sunset or the company of good friends as well. The key is to recognize God’s gift in whatever we are receiving and to rejoice in the gift. Clearly it is possible then to feast during Lent even as we fast from those things that are harmful or which distract us from living faithful lives. 

  

I will close with words from Wirzba's book and a recommendation that you read what he has to say. His book is available on Kindle as well as in hard copy.

"People should feast so they do not forget the grace and the blessing of the world. People should fast so they do not degrade or hoard the good gifts of God. We feast to glorify God, we fast so we do not glorify ourselves."