A rainy October day out on the farm. I'm sitting at the desk by the kitchen window looking out over the golden hayfield with a faint view of Baldpate Mountain in the distance. I'm thinking about the seasonal transformation that's occurring right before our eyes and the way in which a new season seems to bring an element of hope to those who are longing for change. I realize that we probably all have our favorite time of year and are often sorry to see it fade away as the world moves us along through the years of our lives.

This time of year especially brings the poetry of Robert Frost to mind for me. In my perhaps lack of literary sophistication, I prefer poems that speak about ordinary life in subtly grand ways. That's why the works of Billy Collins, two time U.S. Poet Laureate, are also at the top of my list. Collins writes about everyday objects and scenarios in a manner that delightfully captures an almost mystical essence of things we simply take for granted or don't even notice.

Many years ago I was invited to perform some music at a poetry reading that featured the works of local amateur poets. I was astounded by the maudlin tone of the evening. Every poem was either about death, suffering, or general human misery. Apparently the idea was that only that kind of outlook on life was worth considering and had any meaning. It seemed as if each poet was trying to outdo the others by rendering even more grotesque images of life.

In the meantime, between readings, I was performing folk songs and the music of John Denver. I was beginning to feel very shallow and almost embarrassed to be joyfully singing about the other side of life. Then all of a sudden I had what the Japanese call a "satori"--an instant awakening. I suddenly saw that it was my job to try and help lift people out of the poetic doldrums. Each time it was my turn, I sang even more joyfully and heartily.

Some of the poets looked a bit disturbed for me interrupting their gruesome images of the human condition, but I kept right on anyway. Honestly, we were a poor match. I regret having felt in any sense competitive. The persons who had arranged the evening had heard me perform before and decided that I'd be a fit ingredient to an artsy event.

The point is that, as far as I'm concerned, while I recognize that life does, in fact, contain a sizable element of misery for many people, to focus on that alone as if it were the whole of life, is not just a depressing outlook, but is counterproductive to making the world a better place. One of the responsibilities of those who would change the world for the better--shift it into a new season--is to become aware of even the simple joys of life. Those are found right with the everyday world in which you and I live. Perhaps that sounds trivial, but I believe that with my whole heart.

If possible, find time to sit quietly and read some poetry during this season of transformation. Or put on some music that has a poetry all its own and sit quietly and meditatively, listening to every nuance of artistry. Or write your own poem as you look out the window or as you take a walk. But by all means, be thankful for the delightful elements of everyday life that make being here a wonder.

ORANGE IS FOR FALL

I'm going with an orange font in celebration of Fall. Looking at some of the events happening in our world at present, someone might very well say "What's there to celebrate?" And, of course, I understand that sentiment because there is a lot of restlessness and anger being expressed, not the least of which is that which is now happening on Wall Street, and it's spreading rapidly and extensively. And that's just one thing going on our in country alone, not to mention a multitude of turmoil in the rest of the world. I don't need to go into further detail because I'm sure you are aware of many things through the news.

The truth is that there have always been issues confronting the human family, some worse than others and some seemingly never-ending. Along with that, there also have always been doomsayers of every size and shape. Pacing preachers on TV pointing out biblical passages that they proclaim mean that the end is near; cynics who insist that humanity is going down the tubes; political pundits who contend that "this is the worse that it's ever been;" people having daily conversations on the street or elsewhere that sharpen the thorns of one anothers' anxiety; media organizations, wanting to get their ratings up, turning drama into melodrama.

It's true that things are far from perfect--can't argue that point. It's true both individually and communally. Something else is also true though. In spite of imperfect conditions, it's the only world we've got and the only life (as far as I know) we will ever have (excluding whatever life lies beyond this plane of existence). And our stay here is really quite brief no matter how long we live. As a matter of fact, as I'm getting older that fact comes home to me every once in awhile when I consider that not that long ago I was three years old, then ten years old, then a teenager, then 25, etc. And now, I'm semi-retired; what just happened?

As I see it, it's probably good therapy to let off steam sometimes, but it's not a good place to live permanently. It's not good mentally, spiritually, or emotionally. I like what the Dalai Lama teaches his followers. In the very first sentence of the book The Art of Happiness, he says, "I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness." People can scoff at that and say that that is a pretty shallow, self-centered point of view. And it would be if our seeking was at the expense of the happiness of others. Yet, think how much healthier the world would be if our goal in life was to concentrate not on what's wrong with the world, but what's right with it.

Life and the world and the people within it will never be perfect (that includes you and me). There will always be times when things are worse than another, personally and communally. There will most likely always be diseases, wars, economic downturns, natural disasters, and the presence of evil in the world. That's called the human condition. However, solely fixing our attention on that side of life gets us nowhere. Would you agree? Oh, on the other hand, it does get us somewhere. It gets us into the worlds of depression, hopelessness, futility, and anger, just to name a few.

But life is extremely short, even if you live to a "ripe, old age," as we say.