Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"The Wright brothers flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility." Charles Kettering
(As a child, I remember that everyone smoked. My parents, my non-Baptist relatives, and people in restaurants lit up after enjoying a meal. At school, smoke billowed outside the door of the sanctity of the teachers’ room. Shoppers wandered through stores puffing on cigarettes. I remember wearing clothes that smelled of smoke and dog. The veil of smoke was ubiquitous at the beach and other outdoor venues. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the memories are all quite hazy when you reminisce.)
Last week, the Northeast region and below experienced a full-blown air quality disaster. The smoke from the wildfires in Canada dramatically drifted southward. We all awakened to a dismal, doomsday sunrise. The air was tainted with opaque hues through which we could barely discern the blood-red sun. Weather forecasters warned of stifling air quality. The AQI (Air Quality Index) hovered around 250-300 for a day and a half.
SO many people were terrified. People with medical breathing issues (asthma, allergies, on oxygen) needed to stay locked indoors. Anyone who had to work outdoors was subjected to a subtle yet brutal attack. A friend, who delivers mail for the postal service, coughed all night, and her red eyes burned with fury. Healthy people feared that the nightmare would never end. When I went out for an appointment, every person I encountered wore a look of dread on their face. Fear was palpable.
But the weather patterns moved around, and our skies were again clear. It was the first time we had experienced the actual effect of climate change. We did not like it.
As with all real-life experiences, “smoke” is a perfect metaphor for our personal life discomforts. How often do we press ahead through a wall of smoky obfuscation to get to a better place? Life is not linear. Problem-solving is not linear. Were that so, we could walk straight to where we want to be. Instead, we grasp for something to tell us we are on the right path. The smoky haze makes us dizzy and confused, yet, with determination, we can get through. We have all taken these mini-trips throughout our lives.
Above, I quoted Charles Kettering saying, “The Wright brothers flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility.” We managed to get through a literal smoke screen, beclouding our visibility and stunting our breathing! We got through. Much of the problem-solving depended on patience and believing the trauma would end.
We also manifest our destiny as we journey through a symbolic cloud of smoke. When something comes up, it takes time to decipher it clearly. The point is that we, like Wilbur and Orville, can realize our dreams. The longer we sit with a situation or problem, the more defined it becomes. As it is defined in our minds, it becomes manageable and doable.
I’m not an activist of any kind, but I am sensitive to the deterioration of our environment. Donating to organizations that send people out on the scene of the problems is a way to support our groaning Mother Earth. Sponsoring a worker is also helpful. Maybe you have other ways you help. I know that you, my reader friends, care about such things. We are as intimately connected with our environs as we are with each other and our vast, fantastic universe. We are spiritually connected.
“Let’s all keep breathing. Shall we?”
Good one Judy