Wood Chips
From the shores of Lake Superior (The Third Coast)
Some suggest we are living in the midst, not only of a global nightmare, but also in the midst of a Great Awakening. Time will tell. One thing seems certain. Governments and nations have the chance to prepare for the next wave of the pandemic, or the next one, whenever that should come.
Perhaps we’ll learn how to live with higher standards of personal hygiene. How to show appreciation to health providers who fight Covid-19 in makeshift tents and hospitals. How to use social media, not simply for entertainment or distraction, but to make personal connection in compassionate, helpful ways. Perhaps we’ll learn a new level of distinction between wants and needs. And the foundations for good mental health that provide the kinds of resilience and hope that will carry us through.
Here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan we have a scattered, ageing population. A slower way of life, simpler on some levels, more challenging on other levels. There’s no place to run and hide. We’re already here. We can look for some wisdom by looking around us, some resolve, some insight on the power of relationships, neighbors, and getting by with what we have been given.
There is the sacred and profane in human community. One is lasting. The other temporary. This is a good time to start sorting such things out.
Jon
The Cedar Tree Institute
“Wood Chips” is a series of brief reflections written by Jon Magnuson, Director of the Cedar Tree Institute.
