Sal's Reflections

I saw on the net this morning that it is national Brothers week and I thought for me every week is national Brothers week.My whole conscious life has been blessed with Russ ,my older brother, who has been an unbelievable role model.He was chosen in high school as the person “most likely to succeed “,and no matter what the category those words have been totally on target.Each day he has brought his total commitment to humanity by sharing his keen mind,appreciation of others and marvelous wit.To meet and know Russ is to love him.An outstanding husband,father ,brother and friend,he has carved a path of how to lead a meaningful life ,and I am ever so grateful to call him my brother.

Writing poetry,short stories or novels takes enormous amounts of energy and commitment.Much of the process winds up in the waste paper basket and there are bouts of inept creative disillusion, and there is always the temptation to procrastinate. However, it is in the constant commitment to plow through all of the endless searches for the voice within that makes the end result achievable. So it is with every challenge in life, the trying is what requires commitment. The path to any goal takes the commitment of constantly trying.

Yesterday I saw an exciting extra inning baseball game at Camden Yard stadium. Although I am not an Oriole’s fan I was caught up in the total enthusiasm of the fan base. In my section there was every race,ethnic group and persons from all walks of life. Despite these differences they were one in their devotion to their favorite team. There was the constant barrage of positive cheers,high fives and an atmosphere of total commitment to their team. This is the beauty of sports, and I believe a model for society. It is fear, ignorance and bias that keeps us way from each other .Yesterday I sensed again what it could be like if we could transfer those feelings and commitment to other parts of our lives.

Deep within the soul of every person is the desire to have their life mean something. Often this search falls into a category which indicates that meaning must come from some monumental achievements. This mammoth task often leads to the blocking of real meaning found in every life. Few will write the great American novel or discover the cure for cancer, but each in their own unique way changes the world and meaning is all around us. It is found in friendship, caring for the marginalized, modeling positive values for others, offering forgiveness and daily touching the lives of loved ones and strangers. Each in our own way has the ability through the ordinary repetitive requests and needs of life to give meaning to our own uniqueness.

The one benefit that seems to come with age is the awareness that so many initial judgments about people are flawed.That first iron clad opinion many times comes from the prism of our own experiences and is filled with personal bias.Some of the marvelous friends that I have made were not always immediately part of my inner circle.I have learned to revisit those absolute judgments, and have found that once the outer circle was uncovered there was a wonderful human being beneath.

Yesterday while walking around the pool in front of the Washington monument I saw a little boy throw a pebble into the pool.The ripples reminded me that any act of kindness has the same effect because it usually spawns other acts of kindness.I am aware that a smile,a person holding the door for others and many so called ordinary moments when someone is thoughtful promotes good feelings. Invariably the immediate response is to follow that kindness with other thoughtful actions.The other reality is that those moments may be the only kind acts that someone may experience in their entire day.

A ten minute walk from my apartment is the Institute of Peace.I never knew that it existed, and have yet to see someone enter this very large and impressive building..On the brink of another war like situation in Syria I realize that it is so much easier for world leaders to go to war rather that take the infinitely more difficult path to peace.I do not know whether the US should be involved in a Syrian conflict, and I certainly decry Assad’s murderous acts.However,the question remains where will this intervention lead? Promises are always made that this will be limited and time honored; but I have heard these promises before and they never seem to be fulfilled. I think this afternoon I will walk to the Institute of Peace and see if there is anyone in the building.

Having spent the last four days with my granddaughter Erica I once again realized the value of seeing the world through the eyes of a child.Each of us has the ability to celebrate life as we did as children, but sometimes that gift seems so elusive.Every moment tinged with fantasy is special, and the celebration of even the most simple events makes life a ride on the merry go round. That childhood element is still present in each of us, and the company of a child does not make the world a perfect place, but it raises our ability to see magic everywhere. Those moments when we are silly and able to follow the yellow brick road are great reminders that there are still thousands of experiences in which we may  find  joy and wonder.

Our lives are made easier by the thousands of occupations that enable us to function daily.Normally we only think about these workers when something goes wrong, but rarely do we acknowledge the countless numbers that are literally on the job.The teacher,the first responder,the sanitation worker and the electrician and hosts of others are dedicated to making things work so that we are not immobilized by a bevy of obstacles.Today is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the fact that they may not seem to be essential to our dreams and plans but without their service and dedicated work we could not function.

Yesterday I took a walk with my six year old Granddaughter to some of the monuments in Washington.When we were near the Vietnam memorial she asked”why are all those names on the walls?” It was very difficult to explain what happened there, and what the wall commemorates.After my feeble attempts to explain the concept of war she said” I don’t think war is good”>Ironic in those simple words there is a nugget of wisdom that many political leaders through the ages don’t seem to understand.