Under a Red Roof

Connected

September 15, 2008 in Learning by Colleen | 1 comment

This past week, I had the honor of serving my community as a juror. It’s kind of a funny thing, both nerve wracking and fascinating. Tough on the nerves because there are so many unknowns. Will I actually serve on a trial? Is it going to be a creepy one? How long will it last?

Fascinating because of the people involved and the judicial process. Our jury of six was composed of men and women (three of each) from vastly different occupations and backgrounds – a writer, machinist, software engineer, construction manager, administrative assistant, and a scientist. I learned a lot about the manufacture of airplane engines, selling tin cans, and windows.

As for the process, there are a lot of rules – a lot. The most important, for me, anyway, was how jurors are not allowed to discuss the case until all the evidence is presented. So, even though the only connection we had was the trial, we couldn’t talk about it – kind of funny. Next, the attorneys and judge keep very strict control over what the jury hears, and if there was a chance that forthcoming information was off limits, we were sent to the jury room. Also very interesting is that every time we returned, the court would rise. Some other interesting facts: Witnesses can’t just read from notes (it has to be from memory); the prosecutor can present a rebuttal to the defense’s closing arguments, but not vice-versa; and questions must be asked in a particular order. Break one of the rules and the judge (who, amazingly remembers them all) turns into something akin to a referee in the NFL. “Improper order of questions, five yard penalty.”

Quite thankfully, what struck me most was the deep reverence the judge, attorneys, clerks, and my fellow jurors had for both the law and people involved in the case. There was no cruelty, angry words, or character bashing. Everyone was kind, respectful, and eager to perform their job well.

It made me proud and grateful to have a system where we can come together to work for the greater good of society, where voices can be heard, and decisions made upon the evidence presented.

Which brings me to our verdict. Sadly, the facts led us to believe that the defendant, was, in fact, guilty. I think this is what threw me off kilter last week. This man, this stranger, seemed like a kind person who had overcome a lot of obstacles in his life. I, as a juror and peer, forever connected to him, aided in the process of adding one more, and felt the weight of it. I wept for him and prayed that this obstacle would be his last.

One Word

September 9, 2008 in Learning, Practicing, Thinking by Colleen | Permalink

The pen is mightier than the sword, so they say. But that mightiness, when one thinks about it, has very little to do with the pen. Words are the real source of the power. Though many of them look rather pedestrian, when brought together with skill, they can topple even the most worthy opponent, win the heart of a beloved, or make a Madeleine jump off the page and into the mouth of the reader.

Think of the first potent word most of us learn, two simple letters, placed side by side. N-O. No. A small utterance. It doesn’t look like much, but it speaks volumes. We hear it and are brought to attention.

Another powerful word discovered early in life is mine. Though we are tiny when we come to know it, it gives us our first taste of wealth and power. This teddy bear is mine. Those blocks? Mine! These dolls? All mine, mine, mine! So exciting!

Until recently, I had thought I’d reached a sort of plateau with words. Even when I learned a new one (coming soon – to this very post!), the excitement wore off rather quickly. Ho hum, yes, another word. I’ll put it in the files, find a good use for it, and be off on my merry way.

Well, gentle readers, imagine my surprise when I started using an old and somewhat faded word to dizzying effects, lightening the burden of some very cumbersome thoughts. Sound the trumpets because here it comes!

** Sometimes **

Sometimes? Really? Yes, really. Look:

I abhor the solipsistic (the new, dollar word) nature of my blog – sometimes.

I am terribly lazy – sometimes.

The world is an awful place – sometimes.

Election coverage is so annoying – sometimes.

I am so negative – sometimes.

Ahhh, it just feels better, doesn’t it? Thanks to my not-so-new, favorite, dime-store word, I am turning frowns upside down, am less quick to anger and frustration, and generally happier – most of the time. Try it, and see if it doesn’t work for you, too.

In Spirit

September 4, 2008 in Admiring, Inspiring, Learning by Colleen | Permalink

My friend Kelli recently asked what inspires me, and I have to say, without question, it is people who love what they do. They are passionate, kind, interesting, and interested. They don’t need a lot of positive strokes telling them they are doing the right thing because they already know it. Today’s post is a perfect example of this.

Meet Ben and his beef cow Celeste (though he calls her Tank, for good reason). Gregory and I met them last week at the Oregon State Fair’s 4-H Competition (head, heart, hands, and health – being a city girl, I didn’t know this). Ben had just finished showing his lamb. Ever curious girl that I am, I asked him about her, and was so excited when I got the dollar lecture and tour. Here’s what I learned:

* Not all sheep make the same kind of wool. A meat sheep, like Ben’s, has wool that is more suitable for a carpet. It cannot be spun into the wool we like for sweaters. Also, it can be very cost prohibitive to sell the wool for carpet, unless someone nearby makes it. Bummer.

* Sheep do not have top teeth. They only have teeth on the bottom, and their adult teeth come in kind of slowly (for an animal), only two per year, starting at the middle front. Once all of the teeth are in, it is about time for slaughter because the other teeth are badly damaged from so much gnashing and tearing at grass, especially if the sheep lives in a dry climate where the soils are harder.

* Both sheep and cows have four stomachs and chew their cud.

* I also learned that a cow can gain up to a thousand pounds in a year! That’s a lot of food!

* Both sheep and cows are really soft, and so warm that petting them made my palms sweat.

I felt so privileged to learn from someone like Ben. He was easy going with a good sense of humor, yet very well spoken and already a great asset to the farming community where he lives. I have no doubt his life will be filled with success.

Cat as Teacher

August 26, 2008 in Learning, Practicing, Receiving by Colleen | 1 comment

Ahh, the Little Man. A few weeks ago, he hurt his right back hip pretty badly. Who knows how, he gets into all sorts of mischief. Anyway, the cutie was gimping around the house, a source of mirth, wonder, and sadness. Why? Well, sometimes, he would be in so much pain that he thought something else was causing it (a ghost maybe – we need Ghostbusters!), and, in his mind, thought that if he hissed at the offender that the pain would go away. Sadly, it didn’t.

So we decided that a little indoor R & R was just what he needed to heal his wound. The problem was that after a couple of days, he really wanted to go outside, pleading at the back door, scratching at the glass, or otherwise laying in prostrations that made it easy for him to trip us and exit. So, thinking, golly, if he wants to go out this badly, he can’t be in that much pain, we let him go.

We were wrong. The gimp got worse and he hissed at the invisible entity more and more. Lesson learned. He could not go outside, no matter how much he pleaded or tried to trip us on the way out the door. It took ten agonizing days of him meowing his little heart out, and me cuddling him as I left, giving him variations on these words of encouragement:

“Your body is healing Little Man. You’ve got to stay inside until you quit hissing at yourself.”

“I know this feels like punishment Doodie, but Mama loves you and wants you to get better, so no matter how much you meow, you cannot go outside.”

“A few more days of inside time and you’ll be right as rain my sweet boy.”

The funny thing was, as this cat healing was going on, I was going through my own struggle with my cleanse. Boy did I want some sugar! Gimme! Gimme! So I made some rice pudding with coconut milk and added sorghum and brown rice syrups to sweeten it because this wasn’t cheating. It wasn’t cane sugar.

You bet I ate that pudding up, gobble, gobble, gobble, and, like Milo being let out too soon, I got sick. I felt like the guy in the Alka-Seltzer commercial, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” My tummy went topsy-turvy and I wished and I wished that I hadn’t eaten it.

Then I looked at Milo, curled up at my feet, and realized that it was like the first time I let him out. Message received. So, not surprisingly, I’m talking to myself now:

“Your body is healing, Colleen. You can’t have those sweets until you are all better. Even then, just a little.”

“I know this feels like punishment sometimes, but I want to feel better, so now matter how much I want a sweet, I cannot have one.”

“In four more weeks, you’ll be right as rain. Then you can have a little sugar.”

I guess it is just one of those times of grace. The Little Man got hurt so he could teach me about my own healing. Thanks, Boo, Mama loves you, too.

Tags: cats