Beavers

I heard a report on the radio the other morning. There is an unusual area near the forests and lands of last year’s Colorado wild fires. Most of the area is devastated and contains trees that look like burnt match sticks but there is an area that the fire didn’t touch.

What made it fire proof were the wetlands and river beds created by the beaver community. Beavers are nature’s architects. They create ponds, streams even reshape the marshy lands. In doing “what comes naturally”, that for which they are created, it benefits all around.

Of course, for generations beavers were not appreciated. Over hunting almost wiped them out. (Well, perhaps they were appreciated too much- not for their living attributes but for their warm pelts.) They were considered pests and prevented “progress”. The beavers’ management of stream beds and rivers interfered with how man wanted to manage the same area.

The beaver story made me think of a news article I read many years ago about constructed wetlands: artificially creating marshes and wetlands to treat waste water. By using what nature has already designed to do, we are able to replicate that on a larger scale for our benefit both health-wise and environmentally-wise.

Many years ago my mom predicted that all that we need to solve our world problems were provided by God through the natural world. God gave us brains and curiosity to figure things out. She thought many treatments for diseases would be found naturally and even uncovered/discovered through traditional methods from indigenous people. In some ways that is so. For instance, there is a Brazilian viper snake whose venom proved vital in the development of the blood pressure drug captopril. Apparently about 70 percent of current cancer drugs are either natural products or derived from natural compounds, and the world’s largest rain forest is a great cauldron of biodiversity that has already produced medicine for diseases such as malaria.

In some ways it is a shame when nature or traditional means are dismissed from the “how we solve modern problems/situations” equation. There is a pridefulness in thinking we are too “modern” or sophisticated and that we have all the knowledge necessary to solve our dilemmas. We are short-sighted not to entertain all possibilities in our quest for understanding.

Yet, I wonder how much do I think I am so modern or sophisticated? I am thinking of ideas/people/procedures that I may have dismissed and not appreciated for the natural talents or abilities they brought to the discussion. How much have I been short-sighted in my understanding of others?

Lately the posture of humility has been foremost in my mind: the more I know, the less I know. I am trying to welcome each day with humility and curiosity: what will I learn today from others or from some knowledge base that I didn’t know yesterday?

What about you? What natural gifts or talents do you have? Are they appreciated? By you? By others? Have you ever learned something from a more traditional/natural method? What was it?

There is an old song, It’s Hard to be Humble, by Mac Davis. Part of the chorus: “Oh, Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.” We may laugh at such audacity but there is some truth to how we think. Perhaps we need to think of the lowly beaver and how much they can teach us.

Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12

One Goal

The other day I heard an educator speaking about what parents can do this summer in light of the COVID-19 home “schooling”. She suggested that parents along with their children determine one goal that the child would achieve over the summer. It needs to be age appropriate, doable and achievable. The thought that having a goal (or perhaps more- but do them one at a time) is good for building structure into children’s lives.

I was thinking that having one goal this summer might be good for adults as well. And if we have any young people in our lives perhaps have the goal together: read a book together and discuss via facetime, zoom or the old fashion way- letter writing; take an online class together; design a memory book- share stories and pictures from your childhood. The possibilities are endless. The goals might be practical or might be things you always wanted to learn to do. In learning a new skill, focus on one aspect of it. For example, if learning how to sew, plan on making decorative bedroom pillows as a way to learn stitching.

Some suggestions of goals for children and adults:

• Learn a language or at least some basic phrases (high achieving- at least it is for me!).

• Read one book a week or any other determined number.

• Learn to cook a favorite meal, bake cookies, or properly chop and use of kitchen tools.

• Learn to ride a bike or a new swim stroke.

• Learn how to write a letter. (how to address the envelope, salutation, etc.)

• Learn how to balance a check book, make a budget.

• Learn how to sew or any other handiwork: knit, crochet, needlepoint.

• Learn a new-to-you board game. Try “Go”, allegedly the oldest board game, mahjong, chess, cribbage, backgammon.

• Plant a garden: raise some type of vegetable, fruit or flowers.

• Take an artist challenge. Click here for a fun- 21 day artist challenge.

• Explore the world through video- whole host of vignettes for adults and children on Viking cruise website. Click here.

• Take an electronic sabbatical ala Bill Gates for a week- “unplug” from emails, screen time, etc.

• For the overachievers, our son introduced us to these amazing youtube videos of a gentleman who does everything by hand. His channel is a “cooking” channel, but the food aspect is nothing compared to his preparation for the meal. For instance, there is a cooked fish video which is all about his making a waterproof hat (splitting the bamboo and weaving it) in order to sit in the rain to catch the fish. Click here to watch him build a stone grill.

What about you? What things would you like to explore this summer? What can you do together with your family or friends?

One goal. One summer

Happy Birthday National Park Service

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NPS!

Yesterday, August 25th was the 100th birthday of the National Park Service.  President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the service on that date.  The national park movement is older than that.  On March 1, 1872 the first national park, Yellowstone National Park in the (then) territories of Montana and Wyoming was established.  From that time forward the parks have grown.  Currently there are 400 areas of national parks comprising over 84 million acres of land in the 50 US states, District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands.

This past week some members of my family and I went to visit Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Harper's Ferry, WVA.  It was a picture perfect day and a good time to go.  Not too crowded (schools are beginning to commence) but not too desolate (we were not the only ones present at some of the talks). I have been to Harpers Ferry before but each time I go I learn something else. 

Harpers Ferry, Bolivar Heights Battlefield which overlooks the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and the towns of Bolivar and Harpers Ferry.  The ridge on the left is Maryland and the ridge on the right is Virginia.  

I have found that I learn something new every time I visit any of the national parks.  The park rangers are quite knowledgeable and even though they may give the same "spiel" it is always with a different slant. Plus, in some of the parks they are constantly uncovering new information about the history that took place.  It is also interesting to note that not all parks are in rural environments.  There are national parks in the major cities and in all topography.   I have never been out West to see Yellowstone and the other "famous" parks but I have been to a lot on the East Coast.

I highly recommend visiting any of the parks. It is fun to explore, it is educational and supports our country's need for open spaces. It also is instrumental in retaining our history and in binding each of us together as Americans through our shared experiences. 

What about you?  Have you ever visited a national park?  If so, which ones?  If not, why not take a weekend or day trip to do so this fall?  Or, plan to visit one of the "popular" ones next summer? 

And while you are there, enjoy the birthday celebration. 

Click here to visit the National Park Service website.

Click here to download a copy of urban guide to national parks.

What Are You Learning?

I have noticed that in interviews of celebrities or accomplished people, the interviewer will ask, "what are you reading?"  Or, sometimes they will ask, "what are you planning on doing next?" 

I think an important question is to wonder, "what are you learning?"  Are you learning something, anything? It might be book knowledge or life knowledge. It might be something seemingly small but significant to you.  Or, it might be a long-time-coming achievement.  Whatever the learning process and goal is, it is important to reflect on what you may have learned because I think it speaks to wanting to be open, vulnerable and ready to receive information.  

Sometimes we don't actively seek learning it just happens.  It is only on stepping back can we see the journey and the strides we have or have not made. 

These last two months have been such a blur to me. In some ways there hasn't been any time for reflection yet in other ways I feel that all I have been doing is spinning ideas, memories and thoughts in my head: I have had the once in a lifetime loss of a mother, the continuation of a creative venture, the yearly organization process of a volunteer endeavor and a new (to me) competitive tennis team.  

Things I have learned or are learning thus far: 

1. To speak with a lower pitch, slower speed and single thought regardless if the one listening is hard of hearing.
2. Concentrate fully at the task at hand, aka keep my eye on the ball, especially in a competitive tennis match.
3. Compartmentalize the things that need to be done.  One thing at a time and fully engage in that one thing. 
4. Decide on what is important and forget about the rest.
5. Sleep is overrated (too much time for memories) and under performed (back to the too much thinking).
6. Daily Bible reading is essential.
7. Continual prayer throughout the day is much needed.
8. Iced coffee is a great after lunch treat and pick me up.
9. Losing a mother is one way to lose weight but not recommended.
10. Even though one can be a ready-made crier with any emotional issue, through preparation and the power of prayer, one can get through a memorial service and reception.
11. Good friends are the ones who check in with you even after all the condolences have been said.

What about you?  What has been going on in your life lately?  What lessons have you been (or are) learning?  Any of those lessons becoming long-term habits or values?  What would you like to learn?  How can your lesson be a help or encouragement to another?