Thursday, October 30, 2014
The id Post: A Plague on Both Your Houses: Has The Southern Str...
The id Post: A Plague on Both Your Houses: Has The Southern Str...: by Irene Daniel Today's political landscape seems simple. The Democrats are generally the liberals and progressives; the Republicans ...
Thursday, October 23, 2014
The id Post: People of the Dog
The id Post: People of the Dog: by Irene Daniel There's no people like dog people. About a year or so ago, I became acquainted with a group of neighbors who exercise ...
People of the Dog
by Irene Daniel
There's no people like dog people. About a year or so ago, I became acquainted with a group of neighbors who exercise their dogs in a local park at a certain time of day. My dog Maggie, the Labrador that I adore, is a very social animal; much more so than I am. And she broke the ice for me, in getting to know various collies, boxers and other mutts, and their people (not owners). We got to know one another well and supported each other's efforts in work and art. We are our own community.
Almost 2 weeks ago, my left eye collided with my husband's huge closed right fist at a high velocity. Since he outweighs by at least 200 pounds, this sucker-punch sent me flying about the room before landing in a bloody heap upon the floor. It hurt a lot. Still does. However, this is a topic for another post, as there is just too much to unpack there right now, and I need to sit with it for awhile before I can write about it, or write well anyway.
So today, instead, let me unleash this burning desire to tell you about my dog people, who I honor by calling them, The People of the Dog (or POD). Many friends have responded to my recent needs with armfuls of loving support, but none with the immediacy and intensity of my POD. I only had to tell one or two people in our group, and they mobilized our tribe into action. They came with food, moving boxes, money, organizational skills, packing expertise, referrals for needed services, rides to the doctor and to the LAPD, as well as taking Maggie for walks. They packed my entire kitchen and helped me organize what remains to be done. Identifying next steps and who to call for what, helped me to replace my monkey-mind with some semblance of serenity.
And did I mention that they brought food? And I don't mean just food, I mean really good local LA food! Fresh tamales from a Mexican deli in East LA, cheese ravioli from Casa Bianca -- right in my 'hood, and pastries still warm from the bakery down the street. I wasn't hungry until they showed up with all this food -- really good food!
And they still call and check up on me every day. And as other friends from different places in my life and in my heart showed up this week-end (most of them are dog people too), I experienced the greatest blessing of all -- the opportunity to watch new friendships bud right before my eyes, in my own home -- all because they came to help me. How cool is that?
And to think that, before Maggie, I used to be a cat person. I still love cats, but there is something about the way my dog changed my life that is uniquely canine. And I believe it is this: Dogs introduce us to other dog people; and dog people so absorb the love and loyalty of the animals we care for, that we must find someplace to put it all. And that place that is to be the receptacle of all this dog love, is in the lives of other human beings.
They say that, if you want a friend in this world, get a dog. Not only will a dog love you in ways that no other being can, they will always lead you to other people who will love and show you the truest colors of friendship; all because they love -- and especially are loved by -- a dog. Any dog.
If you love and care for a dog, good for you. If not, what are you waiting for? Start looking for love in all the right places. Start by looking into your dog's eyes. But first, you have to get a dog. Go to the pound and pick up as many pounds of eternal love, loyalty and devotion as you can handle.
So, whether Labrador or Shepard, Chihuahua or Chow, Beagle or St. Bernard, not a thing in this world will ever love you like your dog. You not only will have a best friend, but a best friend who brings you new, and loyal, friends. And the dog and the friends will be there for you when you need them the most. Where else in this world can you get a deal like that?
Irene Daniel, Copyright 2014, All rights reserved.
There's no people like dog people. About a year or so ago, I became acquainted with a group of neighbors who exercise their dogs in a local park at a certain time of day. My dog Maggie, the Labrador that I adore, is a very social animal; much more so than I am. And she broke the ice for me, in getting to know various collies, boxers and other mutts, and their people (not owners). We got to know one another well and supported each other's efforts in work and art. We are our own community.
Almost 2 weeks ago, my left eye collided with my husband's huge closed right fist at a high velocity. Since he outweighs by at least 200 pounds, this sucker-punch sent me flying about the room before landing in a bloody heap upon the floor. It hurt a lot. Still does. However, this is a topic for another post, as there is just too much to unpack there right now, and I need to sit with it for awhile before I can write about it, or write well anyway.
So today, instead, let me unleash this burning desire to tell you about my dog people, who I honor by calling them, The People of the Dog (or POD). Many friends have responded to my recent needs with armfuls of loving support, but none with the immediacy and intensity of my POD. I only had to tell one or two people in our group, and they mobilized our tribe into action. They came with food, moving boxes, money, organizational skills, packing expertise, referrals for needed services, rides to the doctor and to the LAPD, as well as taking Maggie for walks. They packed my entire kitchen and helped me organize what remains to be done. Identifying next steps and who to call for what, helped me to replace my monkey-mind with some semblance of serenity.
And did I mention that they brought food? And I don't mean just food, I mean really good local LA food! Fresh tamales from a Mexican deli in East LA, cheese ravioli from Casa Bianca -- right in my 'hood, and pastries still warm from the bakery down the street. I wasn't hungry until they showed up with all this food -- really good food!
And they still call and check up on me every day. And as other friends from different places in my life and in my heart showed up this week-end (most of them are dog people too), I experienced the greatest blessing of all -- the opportunity to watch new friendships bud right before my eyes, in my own home -- all because they came to help me. How cool is that?
And to think that, before Maggie, I used to be a cat person. I still love cats, but there is something about the way my dog changed my life that is uniquely canine. And I believe it is this: Dogs introduce us to other dog people; and dog people so absorb the love and loyalty of the animals we care for, that we must find someplace to put it all. And that place that is to be the receptacle of all this dog love, is in the lives of other human beings.
They say that, if you want a friend in this world, get a dog. Not only will a dog love you in ways that no other being can, they will always lead you to other people who will love and show you the truest colors of friendship; all because they love -- and especially are loved by -- a dog. Any dog.
If you love and care for a dog, good for you. If not, what are you waiting for? Start looking for love in all the right places. Start by looking into your dog's eyes. But first, you have to get a dog. Go to the pound and pick up as many pounds of eternal love, loyalty and devotion as you can handle.
So, whether Labrador or Shepard, Chihuahua or Chow, Beagle or St. Bernard, not a thing in this world will ever love you like your dog. You not only will have a best friend, but a best friend who brings you new, and loyal, friends. And the dog and the friends will be there for you when you need them the most. Where else in this world can you get a deal like that?
Irene Daniel, Copyright 2014, All rights reserved.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
The id Post: I Close My Eyes
The id Post: I Close My Eyes: by Irene Daniel I close my eyes and I am in the desert, la tierra of my youth. I smell the earth and feel the breeze, and I am hot, ...
Thursday, October 9, 2014
The id Post: Do You Hear the People Sing?
The id Post: Do You Hear the People Sing?: by Irene Daniel This question captured my imagination this week. This cry for democracy -- the right of every human being to choose his or...
Do You Hear the People Sing?
by Irene Daniel
This question captured my imagination this week. This cry for democracy -- the right of every human being to choose his or her own destiny -- is the never-ending cry of humanity all over the world. Today we hear that cry in Hong Kong, China. We heard it in Egypt during the Arab Spring of a couple of years ago. This song has been sung in India, Africa and South America. It used to be our song too.
They want what we have here in the United States: the right to vote and to choose our own leadership. And yet, here in the land of the free, most of us don't exercise that precious right of choice in mid-term elections like this one. And local elections not held during presidential election years go largely unnoticed. This precious right, bought by the endless blood, sweat and tears of generations of Americans, and for which people all over the world are clamoring, often goes ignored here.
And I started to wonder just what song the American people are singing today. It seems that we are all singing different songs, in different keys, to a different measure. Our current American song is one of discord and dissention. The right wing extremists sing a song of separation from the rest. While in Ferguson, Missouri, the song of the people there asks a different question: Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
And we are, of course, free to choose whatever song we want to sing here in the home of the brave. But we have all witnessed the miraculous power of the iron American will when we are all singing the same song. When we sing in tune and in time, there is nothing that we can't do; I mean absolutely nothing.
During WWII, the captains of industry and President Roosevelt halted their war with one another to go to war with Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan. Ford Motor Company shipped tanks and equipment to Stalin to help the Russians fight Hitler on the eastern front. Big business, big labor and big government were all singing the same song then, united against a common enemy.
And when President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon, big business, big labor and big government took us there -- and back, a bunch of times. Growing up in the sixties, I remember what a big deal it was, and how much pride we all felt at that moment when Neil Armstrong took that "giant leap for mankind." Not even the sky can limit us Americans when we sing together, united in common purpose.
So what song will we sing in the 21st century? Will we band together and unite against our 21st century challenges? Or will we all drown each other out and be drowned by the rising tide of climate change? Or financial collapse? Or global terrorism? Armageddon may very well be upon us, and it has many opportunities to simply wipe us out, especially if we continue with our discordant note.
Will this be our Swan Song? Or can we, once again, realize the power of our American greatness when we are all on the same page?
Sometimes we need big government to solve big problems. But that government is powerless without the will of the people, the cooperation of capital and the muscle of our American workers.
We have faced big challenges before, and we have excelled and become a stronger people as a result. It's up to you, America! We are all in the same boat now. Do we choose to be apart from, or a part of, our 21st century American song?
Copyright 2014, All rights reserved, Irene Daniel
This question captured my imagination this week. This cry for democracy -- the right of every human being to choose his or her own destiny -- is the never-ending cry of humanity all over the world. Today we hear that cry in Hong Kong, China. We heard it in Egypt during the Arab Spring of a couple of years ago. This song has been sung in India, Africa and South America. It used to be our song too.
They want what we have here in the United States: the right to vote and to choose our own leadership. And yet, here in the land of the free, most of us don't exercise that precious right of choice in mid-term elections like this one. And local elections not held during presidential election years go largely unnoticed. This precious right, bought by the endless blood, sweat and tears of generations of Americans, and for which people all over the world are clamoring, often goes ignored here.
And I started to wonder just what song the American people are singing today. It seems that we are all singing different songs, in different keys, to a different measure. Our current American song is one of discord and dissention. The right wing extremists sing a song of separation from the rest. While in Ferguson, Missouri, the song of the people there asks a different question: Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
And we are, of course, free to choose whatever song we want to sing here in the home of the brave. But we have all witnessed the miraculous power of the iron American will when we are all singing the same song. When we sing in tune and in time, there is nothing that we can't do; I mean absolutely nothing.
During WWII, the captains of industry and President Roosevelt halted their war with one another to go to war with Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan. Ford Motor Company shipped tanks and equipment to Stalin to help the Russians fight Hitler on the eastern front. Big business, big labor and big government were all singing the same song then, united against a common enemy.
And when President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon, big business, big labor and big government took us there -- and back, a bunch of times. Growing up in the sixties, I remember what a big deal it was, and how much pride we all felt at that moment when Neil Armstrong took that "giant leap for mankind." Not even the sky can limit us Americans when we sing together, united in common purpose.
So what song will we sing in the 21st century? Will we band together and unite against our 21st century challenges? Or will we all drown each other out and be drowned by the rising tide of climate change? Or financial collapse? Or global terrorism? Armageddon may very well be upon us, and it has many opportunities to simply wipe us out, especially if we continue with our discordant note.
Will this be our Swan Song? Or can we, once again, realize the power of our American greatness when we are all on the same page?
Sometimes we need big government to solve big problems. But that government is powerless without the will of the people, the cooperation of capital and the muscle of our American workers.
We have faced big challenges before, and we have excelled and become a stronger people as a result. It's up to you, America! We are all in the same boat now. Do we choose to be apart from, or a part of, our 21st century American song?
Copyright 2014, All rights reserved, Irene Daniel
Friday, October 3, 2014
The id Post: The Afternoon in Autumn
The id Post: The Afternoon in Autumn: THE AFTERNOON IN AUTUMN The afternoon in autumn Is often still and deep Even children’s laughter With wisdom, seems to speak...
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