I was deeply interested by the contrasts in this BBC news report, and the inexplicable, unpredictable response of humans. It seems there is a question to be asked: what explains or predicts human happiness? Can one be “happy” in a poisonous environment? Obviously, yes. I love clean air and pure water and think I can’t live without it, but perhaps we need exuberance, human laughter, shared community more than a perfect atmosphere?
For many years we lived in Toad Hall, an old American Gothic Foursquare house named for the mansion in Wind in the Willows although ours wasn’t really a mansion, the kids just thought it was. Now we live in a different home – one more suited to aging with dignity – yes, well, we can hope – The House Between. “Between” because we are living that stage of life between now and what is to come. Sound a little macabre? It’s not. We needed move to a space with main floor accessibility for older people who may not always be able to climb stairs to sleep and eliminate. We love this home in a quiet neighborhood with offices overooking the wooded ravine behind where we feed birds and watch coyotes play leap frog. We love knowing, too, that this is not our final place – there is more healing and goodness in the next life. I’ve kept the name of my blog toadsdrinkcoffee because I don’t know how to migrate to a new one. The name is now even more obscure, but it had to do with living in Toad Hall and my addiction to coffee. However, I did migrate my old publication – Notes From Toad Hall – to the new one Letters from the House Between.
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3 comments:
Hmmm- that's very interesting. Thanks for sharing it!
this was great. it reminds me of when my dad was scheduled to be stationed in a big city full of beauty and culture and diversity. at the last minute his duty station was changed and they ended up moving to a dingy little town in the middle of nowhere. i was in college at the time and thought they'd do their two years and then get out. 10 years later they are still there, retired, and surrounded by a community that has become a family. and i've seen them become stronger people and more tender and joyful people than i ever did while living in big cities with multitudes of churches/communities to choose from.
i'm glad this sparked the memory and connections, thanks!
Andrea, Kate, appreciate your comments. A perfect environment dzn't necessarily equal life and community, does it? I like the counter-intuitive nature of thriving despite "bad air." This weekend in an unincorporated neighborhood of Chicago, where our daughter lives, people are burning leaves (no law against) and the haze stings and penetrates. Am thinking of how God's grace enables us to live despite...
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