Time is a fickle thing. Five years can pass in a blink. The moments blur together, a swirl of mismatched memories, a disorganized collection of experiences and lessons tucked in random corners of the mind.
Often a thought surfaces, and I’m left wondering when exactly did that happen? There’s so many details I can’t recall, sometimes completely forgetting events until reminded.
Our world has become so complex, is it any wonder so many of us have memory issues? We don’t need pills, exams, or other gimmicks to remember. Our memory really isn’t the issue here. The complexity of society is creating the issue. Keep track of this, pay attention, and don’t forget - even though we rarely are able to juggle all these things.
Sometimes I think the global news and media are giant distractions, designed to complicate our lives and deter us from the simple life we’re supposed to have. It seems we’re forced into a game without control over the rules, or choice to play at all. Those who don’t ‘act according to societal norms’ are deemed criminal. Break the rules set forth by someone else, and you’re a criminal. And only money and/or power buys you a Get Out of Jail Free card.
Thinking about all this makes me crazy. I try to remind myself it’s the simple things that matter at the end of the day. No matter what the media has tried to make you believe at any given hour, it doesn’t remove your experiences of the actual real world right in front of your face.
No matter what is happening elsewhere, we still have means to survive. We can still learn, practice skills, and connect with nature, thus, our natural surroundings. We can grow our own food, build a chosen community both locally and remotely, and find small ways to quietly rebel against a system trying to control us.
We need to just keep it simple.
Picture taken in 2019, just a year after my grandma died and the same year we moved up here to the family farm. My fall gourd displays have become more elaborate by the year, and have not been this simple ever since.