Responding to an email from T and J New Years Eve day 12/31/12

Beloved J and T,

As the world as we know it winds to a close thanks again for sharing your life´s work with yo mismo.   From the place I´m at now I appreciate the courage it takes to step out of the mainstream and follow your heart, to use your creative talents and gifts for a greater good.  The more we expand in consciousness the more light that shines into our world.  And in the end it is not so much the words we say but the example we set that will bring about the necessary changes to create a heaven on earth instead of the one we have created.

While my sample size is very small I am connecting with people, women especially as I may have mentioned before, that are awakening or remembering who and what they are in relation to All That Is.  In that there is hope.  Love, joy and peace are energies of the highest vibration which no other can overcome.  The more of it we put into the world the more of it that manifests until wallah, we have created something different, a nonviolent world at peace. 

If there is a Second Coming it is perhaps not the coming of one individual but rather a rising of this inner light within each of us that comes into the world committed to a higher good each according to his or her talents, guided by Love.  And by example, inspiring others to also change  In this creative tapestry all threads are important.  Yours must be green, coming from the heart.  

So good on you for being part of the rising tide.  Some thoughts rattling around wanting an exit path even as biting things have their way with this succulent flesh.  

I´m enjoying my multicultural experience in Kaua, Yucatan, a small rural Mayan community west of Cancun.  This gracious Mayan family took me in and has fed me out of their limited resources.  Chickens and dogs run in and out the open doors, eating and sometimes defecating on the earthen floor but encouraged to stay out with a fly swatter.  Sometimes their treatment is rough.  One older dog has learned to be wary of humans.  You can see it on its sad face. 

Sixto´s younger wife just had her third child, this one by caesarian section, so far no infection but wears a band around her large mid section.  She´s not supposed to lift heavy things but the work of caring for and feeding her children makes this nearly impossible.  Still she has said to me she loves what she does, the hard work and caring for her children which both clearly adore.   She nurses her child openly without a second thought in front of a stranger which is the natural thing to do.  They both lie in their hammock, usually not together with baby on chest or at their side while rocking back and forth by pulling on a rope tied to a rafter.  They had a fan blowing air towards the hammock until the cheap plastic hub shattered.  Smoke from an open fire set between three large rocks has blackened the underside of the thatched roof and rafters.  A metal grate rests on the three rocks to support pots or a flat metal pan to cook tortillas.  This home is built more the way a traditional one which was the intent.  The vertical log walls are held in place by vines as is every other support.  There are spaces between each pole to allow fresh air to enter.

On this journey I chose to not bring a camera for the distraction it creates, preferring instead to continue with a practice of just being present in the moment.  And sometimes this comes easier than others. 

But not all is well here either as it is in many places.  Plastic basura litters the landscape here and at roadside.  Sixto took a bag of plastic crap into the jungle to dispose of it.  Some of it gets burned.  I have seen this many times in my travels.  We have allowed this to happen without requiring that if something stands a chance of being disposed of at roadside or whereever, it should be biodegradable.  Ultimately,  until each of us takes responsibility for all of the messes we´ve created, not much will change except the hand wringing and rush to judgment. 

He also said to me that the people feel they are slaves to a government corrupted by love of power and money.  Sounds familiar doesn´t it.  A civil revolution is possible here he said.  Gabriel his nephew expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the patience of the people is not endless. 

Still, I remain hopeful of a turning tide and choose to focus my energies on a revolution of consciousness guided by the way of peace which is Love.

Tomorrow it´s back on the bicycle and head for the north coast then maybe back south again through Tulum, flying back to Miami on the 16th. 

And in that I remain perfect in my imperfections sending you much love and abrazos as we close out the old and ring in the new. 

Don


PS It´s roast turkey, a special treat for this evenings fare. 

On Sat, Dec 29, 2012 at 8:12 PM, Jean Aspen  wrote:

Beloved Don, 

I am slowly working my way through your Meister Echart book, glad for the commentary. You have been pivotal in much of my reading and I appreciate very much your taste in metaphysics. 

It is good to hear of your journeys and know that you continue loving each day. I think that is the simple-but-not-always-easy "answer" to life. Live the day you are given with the joy and curiosity of a child. It is a dichotomy, of course, for there is also the wisdom to make the difference you can without giving your gratitude. 

Tom and I spent our summer in the Brooks Range healing and filming. We plan to go there as long as we are physically able to walk and haul water. I have promised him next year that I will not write, but will film and go for long walks with him. I resigned my position as OB Coordinator at the hospital and now live with less money and no health insurance for the freedom of the mountains and time to be creative--a worthwhile trade in my opinion. I just completed my fifth book and have it out to readers for input. It is the story of how I became who I am, and is the most complex piece I have written. You recall that it is a work that has engaged me for 6 years. In addition, Tom and I have recut our documentary, Arctic Son, for the PBS time slot of 2 hours. We are currently crafting five special features, averaging about 15 minutes each, for the second disc of the documentary set. They will not be simple "sweepings from the cutting room floor," but each is a little gem, requiring weeks of layering and work. We filmed voice-over and background footage last summer at our cabin with a good hi-definition camcorder. One feature is a tribute to Lucas, one is about living your dream, one is about legacy and stewardship, one is a piece of upriver exploring from 1992 that is excellent--but couldn't fit into the original documentary because of time constraints--and one is a musical piece using slides that span my lifetime (60 years) in the Brooks Range. 

Next summer we will be filming for another documentary, "Arctic Daughter" using the excellent 35mm slides I took when I lived in the wilderness with my first husband in 1972-1977. It is good to have the ability to weave one's life into art and share it with others. What else is there to do?

Wishing you Joy, Inspiration, and strong legs

Love, Jeanie

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" -- Mary Oliver

On Dec 20, 2012, at 1:50 PM, Don Ross wrote:

Hola Tom and Jeanie,

Arrived safely in Maya land with bicycle two days ago.  Staying with a friend near Akumal about 40 miles south of Cancun after a flight from Miami.  Pedaled here from the airport, a major adjustment in the heat and humidity.

Tomorrow spend 12/21 with a Mayan friend not far away.  But today enjoying being on the beach and mostly out of the sun.  Catching up on email and use of a computer.  

Been a wonderful journey of discovery and renewed friendships.  And looking forward to how things unfold, exciting to be here.  And can't say I miss the cooold of Fairbanks this time of year.

Hope this finds you well and your project perking along well as you as you hoped.   Have a blessed Christmas and New Years and perhaps a pheasant under glass for a grateful meal of celebration.

Much love abrazos and bendigas,

Don