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Friday, January 6, 2012

Broken dreams.


Just one storm caused this trellis to come apart in pieces, and to destroy beautiful rose bushes and fruit trees nearby.

One fall-out of life can destroy your big dream, of owning a home, sending your children to college, retiring.  Oh yes, you can predict most of life's problems,  buy insurance, and you can then go back to dreaming that you are infallible, ready to mold your destiny with alacrity and dedication, a destiny that is yours alone and nobody can take away from you because you are smart enough, healthy enough, and connected enough to stand up to anything.

But nothing like this had happened before and you didn't anticipate it. One thing falls, and it takes millions of other things in its path. Our connections  go deep.

And right now, on this sunny day,(we usually get rainy days) we all want to look away from this scene of broken dreams, we want to forget the past and look ahead to summer.

Right now, we just want to get on to lifting this structure up and go back to the times when the rose bushes were healthy, the fruit trees were strong, the raccoon hadn't destroyed our harvests.
We want good news. And we want someone else to pay for this mess.

The way I look at things: fix your own structure, in your own backyard. If this structure was  connected to your neighbors', well then, get together with them, and see how to lean on each other. Both your life and theirs were affected, and will not improve until you give and take.  Some of you will have to do more, especially if you could have done something to prevent all this damage in the first place!

It's really a simple problem.

On a bigger scale, if the city had not maintained their poles, and one of them knocked that trellis of mine, by Jove, I'd expect them not just to repair their pole, but fix my trellis too, and be humble about it, apologetic, generous, and put rules and protocols in place, so this would not happen to me, or to anyone else, again.

It's only Fair!

Now, I wonder what we have to do to fix our country's trellis? Did Wall Street cause it to tumble?


31 comments:

cheshire wife said...

A trellis can be fixed far more easily than any country's economy and plants are great at picking up after being damaged. Those responsible for the pickle that the world finds itself in left the stage some time ago when they ran out if ideas, leaving our current leaders to sort out the mess.

Happy New Year!

Brian Miller said...

yes i like the simplicity of your solution...i wish life worked more like that..

Joani said...

WOW...that is thought provoking. I don't know if the country will ever get back on the right track. It seems to me all the wrong people are at the top to do any good about helping the country and until then, it'll just keep getting worse. Thank you for this inspirational writing. And, thanks for taking off the place where we had to put in the crazy letters & numbers.

Bricky said...

As usual, Rosaria, your writing is very poignant indeed. Roses, of course, are the most resilient of plants and they may even benefit from pruning back to ground level. Now there's something that could be applied in a wider context!

Something that bothers me a little about discussions in which you Americans participate (I refer more to the comments than to the post itself)is that your view of the world seems to end at the United States' borders. Yes, the U.S. is a significant player in the world game, but the problems your country is facing today are symptomatic of those faced by the world as a whole. A healthy garden is the only place to nurse a sick or injured plant back to health.

Diane said...

It is like falling dominoes. Hope you can save the fruit trees and roses. Diane

#1Nana said...

I love the theme of a turning point. If only we could recognize those moments that will unhinge all our carefull planning, but we don't have that power. It's nature's way of reminding us that we have no control.

Melissa Ann Goodwin said...

Rosaria, your posts are always so thought-provoking. I think that Wall Street behaved irresponsibly, but that we are all to blame. People wanted to buy houses they can't afford, they didn't want to hear "no." Bankers came up with risky loan products to meet the need. We are impatient, we want it all and we want it now. I feel so good these days to be letting go of possessions and simplifying. I think many are learning this lesson - you can work and plan and be responsible, but there are no guarantees. So, live life, have fun every day, revel in its joy. I believe the tide always turns...

The Broad said...

This post makes you think! The older I get the more I realize that in order to make the world a better place we have to believe in each others interests as well as our own. And to be able to do that well requires great inner strength and determination. So with those broken roses -- some help from the outside and the plant will once again thrive -- the scars may show but the blooms may be more beautiful than ever. I know it's a bit simplistic but I think a little back to basic thinking about things like selflessness and sacrifice might be the order of the global day ... A good discussion for the Feast of the Epiphany!

Hilary said...

If only everyone could see the logic in your solutions, and had the means to comply. You're right on the mark.

Unknown said...

No easy answers are there, a trellis can be hammered back together maybe glued, remove a piece of wood or plastic here and there, patch it up and ready to go. Life is not so; some breaks are never repaired. Our country's pickles even less edible, another comment on your blog mentions there is plenty of blame to go around, how to convince people they must do with less, that they can't afford what they see,? A thought provoking post as always here.

Donna said...

Sometime solutions seems so easy and yet there is such a circuitous, political path to ever resolving things. Good luck with this!!

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

Your posts are always so lovely and so thought-provoking, Rosaria and this is no exception. Who knows whether the country can be fixed? I think that a mixture of personal responsibility, caring for others and causes beyond oneself and inspired courageous leadership are key -- but major challenges these days.

Tabor said...

amazing network you have weaved here. Yes, we are all connected and it will take all of us to work together.

ds said...

Excellent point, rosaria. If only the world worked that way...

Unspoken said...

One storm, just one, can do a whole lot of damage. When did fair ever get counted in how a city responds :(. Okay, it happens, but not enough!

Rubye Jack said...

Those who worked on Wall Street and with Wall Street did indeed cause things to tumble and now they have gone elsewhere. I have little hope for what is left and those of us who are still here. If only we could come together to rebuild we might facilitate change but I fear most of us are too blind to see the connections.

Unknown said...

If only it were as easy as repairing the trellis!

Marja said...

An inspirational post We fix things and move on. We had here our portion of mother nature causing havock and it is amzing how resilent people are. I worry a bit more about the economy Debt in the world has build up till such a high level hich isn't sustainable anymore in any way

Cloudia said...

you give words to what many wonder.
good job



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Elizabeth said...

This is a really great and interesting post that is subtly intense and deep. Lately I've wondered if the core of individualism that is the root of the American dream/character is rotten. Just wondering...

Tom said...

Thought-provoking post. I'm with you when it comes to your trellis and your neighbor. It gets a heck of a lot more complicated when it comes to the city though.

rjerdee said...

Quick turn at the end, shifting from your yard to a much wider world! Your solutions apply well in both! Thanks for a thought-provoking post and good luck on reviving those rose bushes!

Patricia said...

Thank you, Rosaria...life continues to deliver lessons...we just have to stay awake and alert!

Marguerite said...

Very thought provoking post! Down here in hurricane country, one can never have too much insurance. If only you could get them to pay when the time comes. Working together is the norm, here, a necessity. If only everyone could understand that.

Rob-bear said...

Now that we have moved from our house to what seems to be a filing cabinet for people, we no longer have a garden about which to worry.

But as for the rest, yes; there are a lot of things to consider. How we got to, and through, the crash of 2008-09, the New Defence Bill which allows Americans to be imprisoned indefinitely on the suspicion they are terrorists. Your own loss of a son. And the list goes on.

Blessings and Bear hugs for 2012.

the walking man said...

Nope wasn't Wall Street, that pavement is in great condition it was the human storm of greed working that street that caused the mess.

Maggie May said...

The trellis seems fairly easy to fix but the economy is going to take years....... probably more than we have left.
Hoping that the roses & some of the plants can be salvaged.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Step-parent's Cove said...

For me, this was your best post yet. For me, it touched parts of my life I had burried to forget the pain. Loved it! Shared it!

Rosaria Williams said...

Thanks, everyone!
The conversation is just beginning. I appreciated your thoughtful perspectives.

erin said...

responsibility always begins with the self.

xo
erin

CiCi said...

Thought provoking post. As I was reading it, I was centering on my own little life and a pending divorce and my travel through sadness. But the last sentence startled me out my box.