Dear Friends, Family, Neighbors, and Those of You I Don’t Yet Know —
Boy, the last two weeks have passed with great alacrity! Even though the Applied Compassion class is now officially over, I’ve had a mountain of stuff to do and much to contemplate since the last issue of Odd Company.
Life never ceases to astonish. I learned that a weak solution of Dr. Bronner’s soap and water will kill aphids. Hooray! But my chard succumbed before I managed to use it. Oh dear. I learned that a weak solution of bicarbonate of potassium will keep powdery mildew in check, so my kale is doing fine. Hooray! I harvested the last of my carrots and served them up with roast lamb and potatoes. There are few finer dinners. Carrots dug this time of year are so sweet and good. Hooray again! The river overflowed its banks and flooded my sister’s beautiful farm and garden. (Remember that field of Brussels Sprouts? They looked like water lilies for a while there.) Oh damn dam! The water did not get high enough to flood the house. Hooray! I did my Thanksgiving grocery shopping this morning. Hooray! The store was a madhouse. Oh dear. As my great-grandmother liked to say, “You have to take the bitter with the sweet, honeybunch.”
I’ve been at work on the subject of retributive vs. restorative justice. Today I was still doing a last bit of research, and I’m ready to write about it now, but have not quite managed to get my thoughts in publishable order yet. In Mongolia a few years ago, I snapped this picture of a little girl who was temporarily in charge of her dad’s camels. It’s a pretty good illustration of the way I’m feeling at the moment. I’ve got my thoughts on a longish leash, but only one or two have actually settled down. The rest are still milling around, threatening to slip away.
I didn’t want today to pass without letting you know Odd Company is still around. I’ll send out the real issue with the meaty stuff tomorrow. Meanwhile, take the bitter with the sweet and don’t let those camels get away.
By the way, the Applied Compassion Training program is now taking applications for the class of 2022. If you hear a small, still voice calling, please consider applying. Heaven knows, the world needs more people who understand how to make compassion manifest.