Pansies and Finches

Common Pansy or Violet

This morning, as I sat down to breakfast on the deck looking out over our backyard, I watered the lovely golden, purple, fiery orange, and deep-red pansies my mother bought for me a few weeks ago, that I have somehow managed not yet to kill.

I also tried to find the source of an interesting, repetitive birdsong: "Ca-caaw-ca, Ca-caaw-ca!" I trained my eyes to the branches arching over our hilly, wild, grassy yard -- and soon noticed a tiny little grey-and-white bird blending easily into the trees. The song was not his, as I learned when he flew overhead to join a few friends in another tree, calling out to them with a garbled, quiet chuckle.

There are many varieties on birdsong to hear this morning . . . "chit-chit-chit-chit-chit," "t-t-t-t-t-t-t," a sweet, sudden "sstt!" and a celebratory "swt-swt-swt-swt!" So many patterned conversations are happening overhead that I have to wonder just what it is they are communicating to one another. Are they up there wondering, "I hear an unfamiliar chirping this morning, coming from that little blue thing the large, feather-less bird sits with ... "tap-tap-tap-"

House Finch Bird

Public Spaces

Today was the perfect time to become better acquainted with a few of the more familiar public spaces in my city. I live fairly close to downtown, so I took about half an hour this morning to walk down State Street, nodding to friendly pedestrians and cyclists, and thinking about the histories and herstories of each building I leisurely passed.

I took another half an hour to stroll into each of the shops and non-profit organizations lining the Salt Lake City Library's building -- KCPW's Denker's Studio; The Salt Lake Community College Community Writing Center; The Hemingway Cafe; Art on Main; The English Garden; The Library Store; and the new little walk-in hairstyling salon. I told all the workers/owners that I was a volunteer with the Human Rights Campaign, and that we were looking for businesses & organizations to support our Gala Dinner by donating items or services for our Silent Auction. It dawned on me that a "Library Square Exploration" package would be just the thing to auction off, with gift certificates & items from each of these wonderful places!

Before today, I had passed these businesses many times, yet never had I ventured inside any but the Hemingway Cafe, Art on Main, and Library Store. It struck me this morning, that our little community radio station, and the Community Writing Center, are so open to all the public. Anyone can venture in there when they are open, ask about their programs & classes, reach out, and feel a part of this community.

And the Library itself! Always such a beautiful building to visit, a perfect place with plenty of comfortable seating where one can study, borrow a computer, read any book on the shelf, sit in the atrium & soak up the sun, and toss coins making wishes in the water surrounding the plaza. The list goes on and on! There are hilly lawns with public benches, artistic sculptures and statues, a Memorial Garden (where my Grandpa & Grandma Van Dyke's names are engraved on a wall honoring individuals who donated organs when they died), and so many other beautiful places where one can walk around, lay down a blanket to read in the sunshine, bring a picnic, dogs, kids, just to be outside, free to enjoy the fresh air.

These places in our communities are out there -- free for the appreciation of us all! I hope you have taken a morning, afternoon, evening, or weekend lately to visit your local public library and/or a local public park. If not, do try to set aside a day! I think you'll be as amazed as am I at the vast array of resources, amenities, and opportunities for enjoyment that are available in our public spaces.

Wondering Wednesday

What are you wondering about this beautiful spring morning?

I am wondering about Li (Fire) and K'an (Water). According to The I Ching or Book of Changes, Li and K'an combine to form Chi Chi (After Completion), which is portrayed by the image of "a kettle of water boiling over a fire."

This image has me thinking about boiling water ... about what it took (heat, mostly) to get that water boiling, and what it takes to maintain that energy. It will boil over if the heat remains at the intensity that brought the water to a boil. And it will evaporate over time if left to its own devices. How carefully we must adjust the heat and keep a watch over the water to maintain it at a safe and useful level.

To all the skeptics (myself included) who have ever taken a glance inside a translation of the I Ching, I posit that it contains (surprisingly) thoughtful and relevant wisdom. I am mostly curious, after the few times over the past couple of weeks that I have "thrown a hexagram," or tossed three coins six times to "consult the I Ching," to learn more of the history of this book, as well as the Chinese culture from which it sprang!

Should The Perfect Time become an insightful part of your days in the weeks or months to come, I would like to clarify that I myself have no Chinese ancestry (to my knowledge), but I have found and continue to appreciate the wisdom in John C.H. Wu's translation of Lao Tzu's Tao Teh Ching and, more recently, in Brian Browne Walker's translation of The I Ching or Book of Changes - A Guide to Life's Turning Points. 

These are by no means the only sacred/religious texts which I find myself drawn to. As a Humanist Minister, I am constantly intrigued by the religious and non-religious histories of doubt, belief, philosophy, religion, and spirituality found in cultures throughout the world.

I myself am a member of the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, and while I do identify as an Atheist as well as a Unitarian Universalist, I prefer to continue my daily search for truth, inspiration, and wisdom through the lens of Humanism. Humanist Philosophy details precisely what I do believe, rather than placing a label on what I don't. I find the following, from the American Humanist Association, to describe my beliefs quite well:

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

Please, take a moment to comment below, to share some of the places where you seek for secular or religious enlightenment, insight, and thought-promoting ideas to guide you through life!