One of the wiser descriptions of kindness that I've run across online (from the Facebook page Empaths, Old Souls & Introverts).
"Being rude is easy. It does not take any effort and is a sign of weakness and insecurity. Kindness shows great self-discipline and strong self-esteem........"
Worth remembering when faced with the onslaught of rudeness that passes for 'honesty and truth' in society and politics these days. Kindness and civility are not signs of weakness, and those who think they are are those with the real problem. We cannot continue to foment an 'in your face' attitude as a response to every situation we don't like or agree with; anger only breeds more anger. While it is good to let out anger every once in a while, it is very unhealthy to make a daily habit of it. Our current political situation is a good example of the latter.
So let us practice kindness. "It only takes one candle to light the darkness".
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Biking along the Danube River in Austria
This year's summer vacation took us to Passau, Germany, which was the starting (and return) point for an eight-day boat/bike trip along the Danube River. The trip, which is called The Danube By Bike & Boat, is offered by UTracks. We biked along the Danube River mainly in Austria, but also part of one day in Slovakia. Our 'hotel' was the boat Theodor Korner, which took us to the different towns where each daily biking trip would start. We biked from Mauthausen to Grein (a beautiful village with a castle and old theater--the Stadttheater), from Devin to Schloss Hof (impressive palace with lovely gardens) to Bratislava in Slovakia, around the city of Vienna, through the beautiful Wachau Valley (wine country) from Krems to Melk, from Melk back to Grein, and then from Obermuhl to Engelhartszell (total biking distance including Vienna was around 210 km/130 miles). From Engelharszell, the boat sailed back to Passau and we disembarked.
The trip included three meals per day, a cabin on the boat with private bathroom, and bicycle rental. It was extremely well-organized and went off without a hitch. A big thank-you to UTracks for the professional organization of the trip and the support at all points along the way. We didn't lack for anything.
Austria is a beautiful country, and the Austrian Danube bike path is impressive. If you'd like to read more about it, you can find more information at these links: https://www.donau-oesterreich.at/en/danube-cycle-path/ and https://www.danube-cycle-path.com/austrian-danube.html.
Here are some photos of a memorable fantastic vacation; I'd do something like this again in a heartbeat.....
The trip included three meals per day, a cabin on the boat with private bathroom, and bicycle rental. It was extremely well-organized and went off without a hitch. A big thank-you to UTracks for the professional organization of the trip and the support at all points along the way. We didn't lack for anything.
Austria is a beautiful country, and the Austrian Danube bike path is impressive. If you'd like to read more about it, you can find more information at these links: https://www.donau-oesterreich.at/en/danube-cycle-path/ and https://www.danube-cycle-path.com/austrian-danube.html.
Here are some photos of a memorable fantastic vacation; I'd do something like this again in a heartbeat.....
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| bike path along the Danube River |
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| one of many small cafes along the bike path |
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| one of many wheat fields along the bike path |
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| an idyllic small brook |
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| approaching the lovely village of Grein |
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| Greinburg castle |
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| Sala Terrena at Greinburg Castle--mosaics made from tiny pebbles from the Danube River |
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| courtyard at Greinburg Castle |
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| Schloss Hof palace |
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| bike path leading away from Schloss Hof |
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna |
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| bike path in Vienna |
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| the beautiful Wachau valley--wine country |
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| view from the town of Durnstein in the Wachau region |
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| one of many roadside shrines in Austria |
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| our boat--the Theodor Korner |
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| approaching Grein on our return trip |
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| one of the quaint ferries that take bicyclists over the Danube |
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| Engelszell Abbey, a Trappist monastery, in Engelhartszell |
Sunday, June 30, 2019
The garden in June
It is a pleasure and a privilege to have a garden. It is also a manifestation of faith in the natural order of things--that the cycle of life, death, and life again will continue each year, unchanged, predictable, orderly. There is peace in knowing that.
The tomato plants in the greenhouse are already starting to grow tomatoes, and the pumpkin and summer squash plants are starting to flower and take off. The green bean plants are pushing themselves up out of the soil and starting to grow. The potato and yellow onion plants have been growing well for about a month already, and the carrot plants are showing their green fronds. The dahlias and gladiolas are quite high already; the hollyhocks are also doing well. The lavender and celosia plants are blooming, as are the carnations and Dianthus. The hydrangeas are also blooming, as are the panicled hydrangeas (syrinhortensia in Norwegian--translates to 'lilac-like hydrangeas').
I was in the garden yesterday and took some photos, as I always do, to document the garden's progression from one week to another. Enjoy!
The tomato plants in the greenhouse are already starting to grow tomatoes, and the pumpkin and summer squash plants are starting to flower and take off. The green bean plants are pushing themselves up out of the soil and starting to grow. The potato and yellow onion plants have been growing well for about a month already, and the carrot plants are showing their green fronds. The dahlias and gladiolas are quite high already; the hollyhocks are also doing well. The lavender and celosia plants are blooming, as are the carnations and Dianthus. The hydrangeas are also blooming, as are the panicled hydrangeas (syrinhortensia in Norwegian--translates to 'lilac-like hydrangeas').
I was in the garden yesterday and took some photos, as I always do, to document the garden's progression from one week to another. Enjoy!
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| One of three rose bushes that is blooming |
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| Once a cherry tree, now covered in wild ivy, with coral bell plants and pansies at its base |
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| Green beans, yellow onions, carrots, and potatoes growing. In the background, pumpkin and zucchini plants, sunflowers, and cornflowers |
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| Outdoor tomato plants, royal geraniums, different hydrangeas, and my ninebark plant that has grown a lot this year |
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| Lots of lavender plants, gladiolas, Cock's comb (celosia), carnations, hydrangea, dahlias, lilies, peony, and Dianthus ('pinks') |
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| Pachysandra planted under the Emperor bush |
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| Strawberries from the garden--so good! There is nothing quite like them. |
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| Pansies |
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| Pansies |
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| Pansies and coral bells |
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Reflections on freedom, commitment, and following your own path
I reflected this morning on this short citation from the gospel of Luke (Luke 9:62), because it struck a chord in me: And Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Once again, it seems as though Christ is being unnecessarily harsh with us humans, but the priest gave his interpretation of these words and meant that it had more to do with our freedom to commit to a path, and to not let ourselves be distracted by the myriad of duties and the demands of others that distract us each day from the commitments we make freely. The priest emphasized the 'freedom' aspect of the commitments we make. If we make those commitments freely, we are bound to honor them (with freedom comes responsibility). That is the gist of what Christ is saying here. If we choose to follow Christ in this life, we do so freely, we commit to that path. And we cannot look back; we cannot allow ourselves to be pulled off the path by family, friends, or others who do not understand that commitment or who do not wish us well.
This saying could be applied to many aspects of our lives; we must forge ahead on the path we choose freely despite setbacks, despite misunderstandings, despite outright hostility at times. There are family situations I remember well from my childhood, where some adults irrationally demanded loyalty from children in situations where children should never have been asked to choose sides or to prove their loyalty. But the adults behaved irresponsibly, childishly, or in a demanding way that was often frightening to children. Breaking away from those adults was tough, but necessary, in order to create a life unencumbered by those adult problems. The breaking away was done in a loving manner, but in a firm way. It had to be so. The adults had to be made to understand that their lives were their lives, and that the children's lives were not simply extensions of their own. The children would never have made anything of their lives if they had had to accommodate and acquiesce to the petty wishes of those adults. Similarly in marriage; a childish or narcissistic spouse will try to hinder the growth of his or her partner, will try to pull them off the road that their spouses have chosen freely. Sometimes love is destroyed by that behavior; other times the behavior is tolerated, but the repercussions may not be good ones. You know you are in the presence of narcissistic people who do not wish you to follow your own path, when nothing you do for them is good enough, when their demands drown out your own wishes and goals for your life, when your daily life becomes nothing more than slavery to such people. This cannot be allowed to happen, and yet it does, every day somewhere in the world, because the behavior of narcissists is enabled by the ability to make others feel guilty and to feel inadequate. Narcissists play on our guilt and inadequacies; narcissists are 'people of the dark', not 'people of the light'. I think that is what Christ is really saying. I think he is saying that we are each unique individuals with our own road to follow, and that we have our unique talents and gifts to make our own individual journeys. Freely committing to our own path means not enabling others to freeload on our paths, means insisting that others do 'their own work' on their own paths, means disconnecting with those people who are unhealthy and who do not wish us well. We know this instinctively, but we let guilt and pity enslave us. Christ is saying, follow me freely. Your life may not be easy, but it will be yours. And that is all we (men, women, children) can ask for in this life--the freedom to choose our own lives and to follow the path that is uniquely ours.
Once again, it seems as though Christ is being unnecessarily harsh with us humans, but the priest gave his interpretation of these words and meant that it had more to do with our freedom to commit to a path, and to not let ourselves be distracted by the myriad of duties and the demands of others that distract us each day from the commitments we make freely. The priest emphasized the 'freedom' aspect of the commitments we make. If we make those commitments freely, we are bound to honor them (with freedom comes responsibility). That is the gist of what Christ is saying here. If we choose to follow Christ in this life, we do so freely, we commit to that path. And we cannot look back; we cannot allow ourselves to be pulled off the path by family, friends, or others who do not understand that commitment or who do not wish us well.
This saying could be applied to many aspects of our lives; we must forge ahead on the path we choose freely despite setbacks, despite misunderstandings, despite outright hostility at times. There are family situations I remember well from my childhood, where some adults irrationally demanded loyalty from children in situations where children should never have been asked to choose sides or to prove their loyalty. But the adults behaved irresponsibly, childishly, or in a demanding way that was often frightening to children. Breaking away from those adults was tough, but necessary, in order to create a life unencumbered by those adult problems. The breaking away was done in a loving manner, but in a firm way. It had to be so. The adults had to be made to understand that their lives were their lives, and that the children's lives were not simply extensions of their own. The children would never have made anything of their lives if they had had to accommodate and acquiesce to the petty wishes of those adults. Similarly in marriage; a childish or narcissistic spouse will try to hinder the growth of his or her partner, will try to pull them off the road that their spouses have chosen freely. Sometimes love is destroyed by that behavior; other times the behavior is tolerated, but the repercussions may not be good ones. You know you are in the presence of narcissistic people who do not wish you to follow your own path, when nothing you do for them is good enough, when their demands drown out your own wishes and goals for your life, when your daily life becomes nothing more than slavery to such people. This cannot be allowed to happen, and yet it does, every day somewhere in the world, because the behavior of narcissists is enabled by the ability to make others feel guilty and to feel inadequate. Narcissists play on our guilt and inadequacies; narcissists are 'people of the dark', not 'people of the light'. I think that is what Christ is really saying. I think he is saying that we are each unique individuals with our own road to follow, and that we have our unique talents and gifts to make our own individual journeys. Freely committing to our own path means not enabling others to freeload on our paths, means insisting that others do 'their own work' on their own paths, means disconnecting with those people who are unhealthy and who do not wish us well. We know this instinctively, but we let guilt and pity enslave us. Christ is saying, follow me freely. Your life may not be easy, but it will be yours. And that is all we (men, women, children) can ask for in this life--the freedom to choose our own lives and to follow the path that is uniquely ours.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Cultivating an image that is false
In keeping with yesterday's post, today I'm writing about countries that love to think of themselves as the 'best' in all things. Of course most intelligent adults dismiss such claims as nonsense, since there are no perfect countries, and no one country that is the 'best' compared to others. And yet, Norway likes to think of itself as the best country in the world to live in. Yes, it is a good country to live in--it is wealthy, it has universal healthcare and relatively inexpensive university education. All those things lead to an improved standard of living for a country's inhabitants. But no one country is the best country in the world, not the USA either. Wealth is not everything, and 'good' is one thing, whereas 'best' is another. Norway has its share of problems, among them a controversial immigration policy that differs very little from that in the USA, corruption in politics, green party hypocrisy, a high tax rate that I consider almost immoral, contempt for politicians, air pollution, diseased farmed salmon, a gap between rich and poor that is increasing day by day, sexual harassment like in other countries, and workplace bullying and sexism like in other countries. Many Norwegians are fond of criticizing the USA for many of its social policies (or lack thereof), its greed, its brutal corporate mentality, and its politics. Yet, in many ways, it is no better than the USA. It just likes to think that it is.
When I lived in the USA, I was vocal in my critique of my country and of the things I found disturbing, unethical or just plain wrong. I was well aware of my country's problems and still am (I am no Trump fan and MAGA holds little appeal for me). I will defend my country in spite of its faults, but will not pretend that it has no faults. I expect Europeans to do the same concerning their countries, but often they prefer to criticize my country and not their own. In the face of countries that present false images to the rest of the world, I will open my mouth to present the other side. Because if you as a European criticize my country but not your own, then you will hear from me about that. I am not going to take your criticism of my country lying down.
The following article demolishes the idyllic image that Norwegians have presented to the world about themselves as being gentle farmers and caretakers of animals. I am sure that there are Norwegians who think that animal abuse in their country is non-existent. This article will prove just how wrong they are. Having said that, I know that there are many gentle and good Norwegian farmers as well, and I feel sorry for those who take good care of their animals and are kind to them. Because the following expose is quite disturbing; the article is entitled: Pork industry's secrets revealed: https://www.newsinenglish.no/2019/06/20/pork-industrys-secrets-revealed/ Again, hats off to the journalists and socially-engaged individuals who work to expose their country's problems and to change the societies they live in. They literally risk their lives in some instances. They provide the counterbalance to the daily propaganda that is fed us.
When I lived in the USA, I was vocal in my critique of my country and of the things I found disturbing, unethical or just plain wrong. I was well aware of my country's problems and still am (I am no Trump fan and MAGA holds little appeal for me). I will defend my country in spite of its faults, but will not pretend that it has no faults. I expect Europeans to do the same concerning their countries, but often they prefer to criticize my country and not their own. In the face of countries that present false images to the rest of the world, I will open my mouth to present the other side. Because if you as a European criticize my country but not your own, then you will hear from me about that. I am not going to take your criticism of my country lying down.
The following article demolishes the idyllic image that Norwegians have presented to the world about themselves as being gentle farmers and caretakers of animals. I am sure that there are Norwegians who think that animal abuse in their country is non-existent. This article will prove just how wrong they are. Having said that, I know that there are many gentle and good Norwegian farmers as well, and I feel sorry for those who take good care of their animals and are kind to them. Because the following expose is quite disturbing; the article is entitled: Pork industry's secrets revealed: https://www.newsinenglish.no/2019/06/20/pork-industrys-secrets-revealed/ Again, hats off to the journalists and socially-engaged individuals who work to expose their country's problems and to change the societies they live in. They literally risk their lives in some instances. They provide the counterbalance to the daily propaganda that is fed us.
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