Hindsight is….useless
(Just before the distressing extent of the economic meltdown became clear…)
While events swirl in far away places and our retirement accounts drop zeros, here in Santa Cruz we’re keeping our heads down. Adversity is notorious for pulling communities together. We suspect we’re some of the most fortunate people on the planet. We take the Presidential election seriously but first we’re focused on wresting the last rays of warmth from another dry autumn. Houses get painted. Humpbacks harass orcas, who in turn harass seals in Monterey Bay. Rambunctious children are driven to school. Artists open their studios. The crop of new undergrads notice everything we take for granted and stick out like a sore thumb. We play with our dogs on our beaches. We bike around because gas costs so much or to save the planet or just for fun. We segregate ourselves into our favorite coffee houses. We throw the last outdoor parties of the year. Driving home on a starry night from a merry grape harvest fiesta where the hostess sang Willy Nelson songs along with the band, my headlights pick up three gangs of juvenile raccoons out foraging.
In the light of another hot day, I am ready to fall back on strategies learned growing up in New England and honed during my travels before settling down. I consider what my Grandmother said about the Depression, that it was a great leveler. But this is Santa Cruz, so in the end, I take a workshop…. on compassion.
