Chaos

June 12, 2020

For the last several weeks our house has been filled with chaos.  It began when the succulents first arrived.  As their numbers grew, they took over the kitchen table, then the living room floor, and finally the counter space on our kitchen peninsula.  Melissa has been diligently working with them daily.  They need to be unpacked, labeled, and watered.  Next, they need to acclimate to our house, or for those intended for outside, our weather.  Finally, they are decoratively placed in pots.  This all takes time.

Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, audio theater, and films.  He is quoted likening chaos to herding cats.  “I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.”  I had a friend who used to put a leash on her cat and take it to the park.  Often people would comment they had never seen a cat on a leash before and wondered how it could be so well trained.  What they did not understand was the cat went wherever it wanted.  The 25-foot leash just kept it from running away.

Even amid the chaos our house is being transformed into a thing of beauty.  Melissa took me out to the porch several days ago and showed me the shelves of succulents placed along the wall.  Despite my good intentions, our porch has always been cluttered.  We keep the pool, gardening, and bird feeding supplies there and it is hard to keep them straight.   The chaos that ruled the porch has been transformed by the beauty of the succulent garden.  This is happening inside as well as more plants are being transferred to pots.  Change is never easy, and it often requires chaos to come to fruition.

THOUGHTS:  I listened to a pod cast by Van Jones (Activist and CNN personality) where he discussed generational poverty.  These are the people who live in Appalachia, the hood, on reservations, and homelessness.  The Pandemic has taught us a tough lesson that we have ignored in the past.  We need to take care of those at the bottom and do everything we can to keep them safe.  These are the people who also hold the essential jobs of caring for elderly parents, our children, and making sure the supply lines are open.  We can be safe because they are at risk.  Sometimes we need a little chaos to see clearly.  If you venture out, stay safe.