Natural Instincts and Back to Basics

Harbinger

 What's astounding is the five minutes worth
of trailing flocks of snow geese that pass overhead
weaving black and white lines
of distant honking
to the northeast.
I'm looking up for guidance, for reassurance,
 they are following ancient patterns
they see through our map of upsets,
connecting to what is good,
what is right, what is natural and
they know what to do,
they are hauling spring in behind them.

 

-Mary Kate Protzman

 

 

 

This poem was on today's post of a wonderful group I belong to.  I read this poem over and over again, as it really struck a chord with me.  More precisely, the words "they are following ancient patterns they see through our map of upsets, connecting to what is good, what is right, what is natural and they know what to do", struck a chord with me.  I thought about nature and the wild, how we as humans, have lost our touch with nature and what is wild in us.

 

As it was snowing 11 inches of snow yesterday, I sat and watched a show about people looking for houses to buy in the Caribbean.  Get-away homes, permanent homes, homes to escape the hustle and bustle of "real life."  Most of these cities or towns that these people were looking for homes in, were poor towns if it were not for the tourists.  The locals, they live a very, very different life from the ex-patriots that were coming there, to escape the hustle and bustle.   

As these people were being shown homes they may be interested in, I was amazed at what these people found necessary to have in their "island homes."  Although they all said they wanted a home that truly seemed native to the area and had a real Caribbean feel, they were wanting all of the modern day conveniences of  their homes back in the States.  I sat listening to these women complain that there wasn't a dishwasher in the kitchen, no double sink vanities in the bathrooms, kitchen cabinets that weren't custom made cabinets or counter tops that weren't granite.  It all kind of made me have a sick feeling in my stomach.  These people sounded so shallow and materialistic.  Although they said they wanted to get away from their hectic lifestyles and live a simpler, more relaxed Island life, they could not possibly imagine sharing just one sink with their spouse in a Master bath or having to wash dishes by hand, or prepare food on a counter top made of wood or God forbid, tile or formica.   I don't know about other people's partners, but I know that Robby and I could very easily brush our teeth at one sink and learn to take turns if he needed the space to put in his contacts while I needed the space to wash my face.  We have a dishwasher, and have not used it since our wedding reception and I have no idea what our counter tops are made of, but I know they are not stone of any kind.

When did we as humans, become so selfish and greedy?  Why is it that it is only the animals of the wild that know how to live simply and make do with all that has been given to them in nature?  When did we lose touch with reality and self preservation? 

I look around my home and there is so much excess.  So much I don't need and don't have to have.  I live in a house that is 100x's bigger than I need.  I have a pantry full of food that I rarely ever eat or use.  I have a closet that has shoes in it that I rarely wear and clothes that I wear only for "special occasions".  I am a hypocrite because I despise people who feel entitled and won't "settle for less" but yet, by outward appearances, I look like that person.  Granted, much of what I have, I have bought at thrift stores and second hand stores, but still, I don't NEED all of it.  I don't USE most of it. 

We don't have to follow our natural instincts anymore because we have so many other things and APPS to make those decisions for us or we simply just go with what we believe will be socially acceptable.  My husband and I always laugh when we see the news during a snowstorm and they are showing people walking to go get breakfast or dinner because the roads are too bad for them to drive their car.  They get to the restaurant and are mad because it is closed due to the bad weather.  Why is it that people cannot stay at home and COOK their own breakfast or dinner?  Or they go out to get coffee!!!!  Really, you can't make your own cup of coffee at home, but you hope that others have risked their lives getting into a coffee shop to make a cup of coffee for you?  Really? 

I grew up in a very modest home with 5 other people.  We had one bathroom that we all used which had one sink, one toilet, one tub.  6 of us got out of the house everyday, on time, for school and work without fighting over the bathroom.  Our kitchen cabinets were not filled with food we didn't eat and people would come over, look in my mom's fridge and wonder how on earth she would produce a meal out of the few things that were in there.  And let me just state, we never went hungry or didn't have food on the table and almost all of our meals were cooked, not heated in a microwave or poured out of a box and certainly not bought at a restaurant or fast food joint.  I was raised by a mom and a dad who did not waste and did not have excess.  I grew up with those values and may have lost them along the way to some extent.  But I strive to get them back.  I strive to start living by instinct again and natural impulses.  I want to get back in touch with the "wild" side of my being and trust in the ancient patterns, know what is right and natural and connect with what is good.

I am not better than anyone else.  The things I saw in those people looking for their "island home" that I didn't like, are the same things I see in myself that I don't like.  I don't want to be better than anyone else, I just want to be a better me.  I am on a quest, a journey, to make changes in my life.  Small changes that will add up to a bigger change over time.  It is hard looking inside at times and seeing things about myself I don't like.  But it has to be done if I want to be a better me.  And if I am going to rant and rave about the ways of others, I better be prepared to defend my own ways first.  In the words of MC Yogi...."Be the change that you wanna see in the world, just like Gandhi."  I am no Gandhi and never will be, but I will be the best me I can be.