What’s For Lunch Honey?: Thankful

Come take a seat next to me my friend. Rest. Breathe. Contemplate.
The path seems to be a long hard one as challenging times lie ahead. Let us realign and unite for together we are stronger, we can make the difference. Let us take a moment to ignite the fire of love and respect, to find our inner strength, to be bold … for these are not normal times.

Over the past several weeks I have seen and heard such hate filled indoctrination and misleading disinformation that it scares me to the core. I live in Germany, am married to a German who grew up in the ex-East part of the country – yes the part behind the wall, his gandmother – a healthy 96 year old, still vividly remembers the tortures and the terror of World War II. She watches in disbelief that our generation can be so stupid – can forget. She hurts as she realizes that all those in her generation – those who warned us, told us about the hideous crimes, those who made sure that we never make that mistake again – they all have passed. And here we stand … in 2016!

I shudder in horror when I see neo-Nazis raise their hands to salute, a chill runs up my spine when I hear their hate-filled propaganda, it saddens my heart that when we all sit down to a warm meal under a solid roof there are those who are forced or bombed out of their houses and the land they call home.

These alt right white supremacists speak of everything we people are not and can never be. We have come a long way to go back to the horrid suppression of the Nazi time. Hate is never the way forward it infests even the hardest of us to core bringing only destruction and utter sadness. That there are people who honestly believe the color of skin makes them superior – broken down to its simplest forms – this is the belief of an imbecile.

A good friend recently wrote to me and told me this

“In the end we are porous beings, not just our skin and bodies, but emotionally and mentally.”

I agree. We soak up what is happening around on on many levels, consciously but also subconsciously, which always has the relevant effect on us.

Hate, hostility, negativity, oppression and abuse will reap the same breed, will seep through our skins like harmful toxins, will poison our thoughts our minds and create a murky vision hindering us to be insightful and focus on constructive matters.

We acknowledge false news with such a voracious appetite and spread it causally through the media. The sheer amount of negativity that accompanies this information is something we are just unable to process with the required reflection and empathy that is needed.

It’s disconcerting!

These are not normal times and if we have learnt anything from our grandparents, our elders and forefathers it is to stand up and fight against the normalization of all that is improper and unacceptable.

“Half the evil in this world occurs while decent people stand by and do nothing wrong. It’s not enough to refrain from evil, Trell. People have to attempt to do right, even if they believe they cannot succeed.” “Even when it’s stupid to try?” he asked with savage sarcasm. “Especially then,” she replied sweetly. “That’s how it’s done, Trell. You break your heart against this stony world. You fling yourself at it, on the side of good, and you do not ask the cost. That’s how you do it.”
― Robin Hobb, Mad Ship

I need time to recalibrate and redress – to find my balance and to shut out and filter, keeping my focus on positivity, respect, kindness, love and happiness. I am always the one to fling myself on “the side of good” because that is not just my moral obligation but also because I need to make sure that whatever part I have in this world, in this time, that whatever I leave behind for my kid and future generation will not be looked at with dismay or regret.

So I leave you with some positive vibes with these images – to help you find your balance, your good vibes and strength. On a lovely bank holiday Autumn afternoon, I packed my camera, my 14-year old and his camera and we headed out to the Belvedere Castle just a 10 minutes drive from where we live. We spent the most tranquil, enriching and valuable time together in a long time. We laughed, we talked and we took photos of the beauty around us. The castle houses an academy of music and as we walked through the gate of the orangery we were greeted by notes on the piano accompanied by the violin. We sat on the park bench and allowed the moment to permeate through us.

I thank those who are strong everyday and fight, stand-up for and confront wrong and animosity with courage.

Come take a seat, my friend. We need a moment to give thanks for what we have and a moment to think of where we want to go from here. Let’s make it worthwhile. Breathe.