Nature is Calling You, Tears of Hercules, and I Haven't Heard Since

Good Morning from Prince Edward Island,

Put the kettle on...do you the time for a cuppa? 

Our province is now asking all Health PEI staff to wear medical masks when in direct contact with patients and when they are unable to distance at least two metres physically. 

Since this was mandated earlier this week, we decided to follow suit. All our staff now wear masks.  They are encouraged to wear the design that pleases them. Shirley purchased the masks for staff through a three-way partnership between the QEH Foundation, PEI Women’s Institute, and PEI Mask+Aidefrom. You can order and support the cause online here.  

Keep wearing masks and social distancing — it works, new McMaster study states.

I smiled and hoped the best for this young man while reading, P.E.I. teen touring small towns with a big screen. Dash’s Drive-In is pulling into rural parking lots this summer. Kudo’s to him and his supporters. I think we will have to take in one of these events. 

Lately, while working hand in hand with nature in the Gardens of Hope, I began thinking about solitude. Taking time to drink in nature’s offerings, has been rewarding this week.  For example, watching the osprey build their nest high above the gardens and beside the River Clyde’s God-given fish buffet flowing through River Clyde is such a treat. It is such a thrill to watch the osprey dive for their dinner and come up victorious. 

Henri Nouwen, states it well...

Nature is a Gift

In recent decades we have become particularly aware of the crucial importance of our relationship with nature. As long as we relate to the trees, the rivers, the mountains, the fields, and the oceans as properties to be manipulated by us according to our real or fabricated needs, nature remains opaque and does not reveal to us its true being. When we relate to a tree as nothing more than a potential chair, it cannot speak much to us about growth. When a river is only a dumping place for our industrial wastes, it no longer informs us about movement. And when we relate to a flower as nothing more than a model for a plastic decoration, the flower loses its power to reveal to us the simple beauty of life. When we relate to nature primarily as property to be used, it becomes opaque, and this opaqueness is manifested in our society as pollution. The dirty rivers, the smog-filled skies, the strip-mined hills, and the ravaged woods are sad signs of our false relationship with nature.

Our difficult and very urgent task is to accept the truth that nature is not primarily a property to be possessed, but a gift to be received with admiration and gratitude. Only when we make a deep bow to the rivers, oceans, hills, and mountains that offer us a home, only then can they become transparent and reveal to us their real meaning."

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more” 

~ Lord Byron

For a few days this week, I was without my computer, as it was in for repair. I had others to choose from but decided to not. Being without a computer was a very different experience, but it turned out to be an enjoyable one. And my desire to spend less time listening to the news, written or other forms, is growing. 

“Simply put, humans are not wired to be constantly wired.”― Cal Newport

Life right now is what it is, and need not be affected to the point of becoming an emotional trainwreck after listening to or watching the constant barrage of negative headlines.

So I will be more aware and move right along towards a more peaceful existence. 

I enjoyed reading the Aeon article below by Thuy-vy Nguyen, who is an assistant professor in psychology at Durham University in the UK. 

Time alone (chosen or not) can be a chance to hit the reset button.

From the article, “In a culture fuelled by fast-paced lifestyles and convenient technologies, we are easily pulled by our devices and our obsession with productivity. When we are alone, we find ourselves working, and when we have a free moment, we want to catch up with what other people are doing by picking up our phones. This can be true even when people are in lockdown and unable to socialize in person. Such a mindset, in which we actively seek to avoid solitude, only increases the chance that we’ll find the experience unpleasant when it arises. Conversely, by seizing the opportunity for relaxation and reflection afforded by moments (or even stretches) of solitude in our busy lives, we can reap the benefits. Time, when we are unexpectedly alone, can be difficult, but, at least for some, it can be a blessing in disguise.”

Today I have been listening to and enjoying Canadian Oscar® and Grammy®-nominated artist Stephan Moccio, pianist, composer. He has a new album coming out later in August, but here are a few songs to be enjoyed here. 

The Lyrics below are written by Stephan Moccia and Marc Jordan. 

Tears of Hercules

So it goes history shows deserts must expand

Camels sail-like wooden ships like women down The Strand

There's sand on Second Avenue and the wind blows like a train

Taxi's line-up like a strand of pearls around the block again

I remembered everything every windowpane

Every word came back to me the way it used to be

Then I saw your face across the street

Through the tears of Hercules

There's a bus that leaves at 8:15 and another one at 10:00

Should I climb aboard risk everything-and ride it to the end?

Watch the hill like roller coasters up into the sky

And wish that you were here by me so close that I could die

You say love wrecks everything and none of us survive

But I got over you last night and I am still alive

'Til I saw your face across the street

Through the tears of Hercules

You say love wrecks everything and none of us survive

But I got over you last night and I am still alive

'Til I saw your face across the street

Through the tears of Hercules

This weekend, I hope you find the time to enjoy the time.

With love from Prince Edward Island, 

Sincerely, 

Bruce & Mille

ps. 

Three weeks ago, I sent my hearing aid in for repair...

I’ve heard nothing since.