Even if you spend your days as I do, wrapped in a fluffy pink cloud* of Glee reruns and YouTube videos of happy kittens, you are probably still aware of the recent events in the Middle East, dubbed by the media as “The Arab Spring.” Whatever your geo-political orientation, like me, you were probably more than a little awed at seeing the tremendous power of such impressive, impassioned displays of united human will.
It really gets you thinking...
Summer is fast approaching and in the Bay Area, a middle-aged, former-vegetarian, semi-socialist, pseudo-hedonist's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of... Political Rallies - sit-ins and love-ins, marches for peace, freedom, air and sky, and summers of endless love. Having missed “The 60s” the first time around (except in TV and fashion reruns), as well as having suffered through my generation's Taco Bell-stoned, plaid flannel attempt to recreate them in the 1990s, (plus having inherited the Baby Boomer generation's sense of entitlement) I feel I am owed these public demonstrations of blissful self-righteousness... preferably when 72 degrees and sunny outside.
(I also feel I am entitled to participate in a flash mob** at least once before I die, but we'll save that for another post.)
Therefore, I have asked the Yummish Council to declare 2011 to be a Summer of YUM. For these next few months, as the Northern Hemisphere is bathed in warmth and light, – the sunny elements of life – let's all vow to be more aware of that which is good, beautiful and life-giving (read: Yummy) around us. Let's make a habit of performing Random Acts of Yum, in order to help others better appreciate that same beauty. Indulge in public displays of Yummish consumption. Hug a tree... or a puppy or a grandkid. Resist incivility. Give YUM a chance.
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| Give beach a chance. |
When we celebrate what is joyful and delicious about being on our planet, when we immerse ourselves in all that is succulent, green, juicy, and alive, a heartfelt desire to serve and protect it arises naturally. For it's stewardship to become our privilege and our passion, we must first see our planet as the source of our greatest joy. Stopping to smell the roses is not just a pleasant diversion, but the path to our ultimate salvation!
As with any Yummish holiday, how you choose to mark the occasion is up to you and your individual tastes and circumstances (read: Yum). The Yummish are less concerned with how you celebrate than that you celebrate. Have lunch outside. Let the sun bake away all stress and thought from your mind until only white light remains. Take off your shoes and touch your toes to a patch of grass. Close your umbrella and walk in warm rain. Sweat outdoors. Ruin your shoes in the mud. Eat something wild. Sleep under the stars. Let Nature have her way with you, if only for a night. Follow your Yum!
Today's exercise: Enjoy a summer of YUM!
Next: Dark Matter(s)
*John Nichols is stunning. My copy of “Nirvana Blues” is warped with tear stains. Bliss!
**In the E'ville IKEA... ABBA songs will be involved... I have it all planned out in my sick little imagination. I should probably be medicated. (or more so)
Tune in, turn on, and Yum it up!
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me, Thelemic Waves!
ReplyDelete